


Combusting Hearts

by KittyoftheNight



Category: X-Men (Movies), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2015-01-06
Packaged: 2018-03-04 05:35:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 44,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2954192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyoftheNight/pseuds/KittyoftheNight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My name is Elaine Conners and my life is a living hell. Why might you ask? Its because I've been labeled as a class 5 mutant with no control over my powers. Everyone's afraid of me, humans and mutants alike, but perhaps there's still hope for me in the form of new friends. Maybe, I can finally stop running from the world around me and take a break. Or maybe everything that I've come to think has been a lie and one big mistake. Hop on and find out just what this crazy world has in store for mutants like myself. Remy LeBeau/Gambit/OFC</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Alright everyone. This story was originally posted on Fanfiction.net . Now, I've decided to post it here while also updating past mistakes and making this work better. I've had so many reviews on it that I figured it was time to finally give it another shot and in doing so, start updating the story once more. Please, message me and let me know what you think? I'd really appreciate anything that you guy can give me!

**Combusting Hearts**

**Chapter 1**

**The Beginning**

 

     Do you know one thing that I hate? My life. In fact, I’ve hated myself since I was 12 years old. Why you ask? Well, let’s just say, it’s because I’m what's called a mutant. That’s right, a mutant, and a dangerous one at that. At least according to everyone else that is. Now, some people might think that that’s a good thing, but it’s not. The reason why? I have-absolutely-no control over my powers. That problem has also caused me a lot of heartache, more than anyone could ever imagine. No one knows my pain, my fear, or my loneliness. No one knows how much I true have come to hate myself…

     Now, I guess we should begin with the rest of my life, and how I destroyed another piece of my sanity.

     “Elaine!” my foster mom yelled from down stairs.

     I opened my door in frustration, narrowing my eyes in the direction of the voice.

     “What!?” I yelled.

     “I want you out of this house now! Otherwise, you’ll be late for school!” she shouted.

     I sighed, slipping my shoes on, and grabbing my bag. I threw my jacket on quickly, and then ran down stairs, and out the door.

     You’d think that she’d take me to school, but no, I had to walk. The lady wouldn’t even consider letting me in her car, in fear that it may explode or catch fire. Yeah, that’s right, she knows about my powers. Heck, if she had it her way, I wouldn’t even be in her house. We basically got stuck with each other, much to her dismay. I was actually surprised when I had been placed in her care. I actually figured that someone would have tried to lock me up by now, but apparently, there must have been someone seeing to it that I wasn’t thrown into solitary confinement.

     Normally, mutants like me don’t last long in humane society. Most of the time, we’re locked up, and put away out of sight of the ‘sane’ community. As far as I go, let’s just say I’ve near been in any one particular foster home for longer than 6 months. Most times, it’s even less than that. Finding people to take me in is even harder, and half of them really didn’t even have a choice, they were forced to. To them, I was their worst nightmare, and ultimate fear. They were always afraid that I’d end up burning the house down or that they’d end up dead and burnt to a crisp. I mean, it’s not my fault that I can’t control my powers. Trust me, I’ve tried. Even other mutants that were in homes around me were terrified of me, so that basically shot down any ideas I ever had of trying to makes friends.

     I let out a long sigh as I looked up, standing in front of the place that I considered a daily hell, besides my life that is. Rolland High School, one of my worst nightmares.

     “Ow! Hey, watch it!” I yelled, holding the back of my head that had just come in contact with a thrown football.

     I turned to find one of the jocks. They probably did it on purpose too, which meant that their ball was going to be a hunk of purposely melted leather too.

     “My football!” the largest one yelled, completely outraged at what I had just done, their 'ball' now sitting in my hand in the form of melted mush.

     “I could say the same about my head buddy,” I said irritably.

     He just glared at me, before shouting.

     “Freak!”

     I froze on the spot, my brows furrowing faintly as my eyes started to water a bit. Freak, that’s what they called me. I’m a freak of nature, a freak with powers that they can’t control.

     “I wish I could just leave this place,” I whispered to myself as I watched everyone else enter the school.

     I soon followed everyone else and entered the building, going to my class room. The moment that I walked into the room, all eyes were on me and me alone. I shifted uncomfortably under all the stares. No one in this school liked me at all and that was putting it nicely.

     I could hear the whispers as I sat down in my seat, trying to ignore everything and pretend that it didn’t bother me.

     “There’s the freak again. Ugh, she so weird.”

     “Yeah, you’d think she’d have enough brains not to come around here.”

     “I know. I mean, and that HAIR? Seriously? You’d think she’d know not to try and draw further attention to herself.”

     I just sat there, my hands balling up as I tried to contain myself. I was actually glad when the teacher walked in, silencing everyone.

     “Sorry I’m late everyone. I had trouble getting my car started this morning,” Mr. Kenton said, placing his planner and teacher’s book on his desk. “Now, today we’re going to be pairing up in partners to begin our review for tomorrows test. I want you to partner up with the person beside you and start with the flash cards that _all_ of you should have made last night. Now, get started,” he said, sitting down in his chairs, quickly going to work at grading papers.

     I watched as the girl that was _supposed_ to be my partner raised her hand.

     “Mr. Kenton?” she asked, earning his attention.

     “What is it Angela?” he questioned, glancing back down at his papers for a moment.

     “Can I please go use the restroom?” she asked sweetly.

     “You should have used it before coming to class,” he said.

     I grinned at his answer.

     “But it’s that time of month again sir,” she said.

     My face fell as I watched him shift uncomfortably. The one response that no male teacher can say no to and she had to go and pull it. He coughed into his hand, before holding out a bathroom pass.

     “Please hurry up then,” he said.

     She simply turned to me with a sly smile as she got up and snatched the pass from him. She also took her purse, which was the only thing of hers in the room. I sighed, knowing that she wasn’t going to be coming back any time soon.

     Minutes later, I saw one of her friends texting oh so _discretely_ underneath her desk. She looked down at her phone and stifled a laugh, turning to her partner and speaking in a hushed tone.

     “She’s _so_ not coming back to class. I swear, that was absolute pure genius,” she laughed.

     I groaned as I placed my head in my arms. I give up on even trying this class today.

     I don’t even think that 5 minutes passed, before I felt something hit me in the back of the head. I looked down to find a crumpled up piece of paper with writing on it. I picked it up and uncrumbled it, glaring at what it said.

_Hey Freak, how’s studying coming!_

     I let out a small growl of annoyance, before tearing it to pieces upon my desk. I then decided to just pull a book out of my bag and read. Even then, I still continued to get things thrown at me.

     I managed to read the first two chapters of my book, before the bell rang. The moment I heard it, I grabbed up my stuff, and exited the room. The only good thing about me being a mutant is that in the hallway most people move out of my way.

     It was normally always like this. No one wanted to be anywhere near me at all because they were too scared of me. I had absolutely no friends, and no one wanted to be my friend, no matter what. No one was here for me, no one stood up for me, no one cared about me. I could die tomorrow and no one would ever shed a tear or whisper a bittersweet word or verse of sorrow. There was absolutely nothing here for me at all.

     A couple hours later, the same thoughts were going through my head. Lunch time was no exception to those thoughts. In fact, it just made them worse as I looked around. Everyone had someone to sit with, eating lunch and laughing with their friends. It seemed like everyone had their own little click, even the mutants had their own table, each of which I was banned from. As these thought continued to plague me, I soon found myself gaping at my plate as it was slowly starting to glow and combust in my meager hands, fear welling up inside of me.

     “Watch it freak,” one guy said as he shoved passed me, bumping into my shoulder.

     My plate exploded then, nearly taking part of his arm with it as he lay on the floor in shock, hand on his arms as he tried to sooth the burns that were now plaguing his skin. Then, everyone around me began backing away in fear, fearing that they’d be next. Screaming soon ensued as I felt something in me finally snap, my control becoming lost as my powers began breaking free, watching as things began exploding around me. The only thing that I could do was stand there as tears fell.

     Pillars soon started to give way in the cafeteria, pieces landing around me, and dust slowly clouding the air.

_Help me!? Please!? Someone help me!?_

†

     In New York, a kind faced man in a wheel chair was nearly thrown back into his chair as a voice echoed through his mind. It was the voice of a young girl in pain and distress. She sounded absolutely terrified as though everything were falling down around her and caving in. With this in mind, he made his way quickly to Cerybro to confront the problem. No doubt it was a young mutant in dire need of help.

     The moment he placed the helmet on, he was thrown for a loop of emotions. Sadness, fear, pain, anger, loneliness, emptiness, and insecurity. So many emotions all pouring out at once, devolving into a tremor of lethal power, and he was sure it was one that more than likely she could not control.

 _Help me! Please!?_ the young girls voice cried out painfully.

     Her image appeared in front of him, a piece of ceiling coming down behind her causing her to flinch. She was indeed a young mutant and she was in desperate need of help, her tiny form nearly falling forward into a ball as tears fell freely from her faintly glowing eyes.

 _Logan, Storm, Scott…meet me in the hanger and have the jet ready, we’re leaving now,_  he spoke through his mind as he wheeled out of the room quickly and down the hall.

     He knew that he had to hurry, otherwise, people were going to get seriously hurt or even killed.

†

     The only things that I could hear were that of yelling and screaming as some type of security task force was deployed. They scarcely knew what to do as some of them  just stared at me, each swallowing the lump stuck in their throat. A few of them even had guns out and were pointing them at me, only resulting in making things worse. More explosions ripped through the school, shaking its walls as they nearly knocked me to my knees. I just couldn’t hold it in anymore. I simply couldn’t control it as my powers went on a full out rampage.

     “Stop this now!” one of the men ordered, lifting his gun carefully.

     “I can’t!” I cried over the noise, my shoulders shaking terribly.

     “Just shoot her already and put an end to it!” one of them shouted.

     “That’s the only way to stop a mutant like that,” another one added as he aimed his gun at me.

     I just stood there crying, not able to do anything else. My fear was creeping up on me, continuing to fuel my powers further. The floor was the next thing to go, exploding in front of them, throwing them back a few feet as I collapsed to my knees.

 _Just make everything stop… I want everything to stop and just go away!_ I cried out in my head.

Then as if by magic, everything seemed to freeze in place. The screaming, the yelling, the flames, the explosions, even my powers. Everything had froze up and halted. I looked around fearfully, trying to figure out what was happening as I tried to get a grip on my breathing.

     “It’s alright now my dear,” a voice said.

     I looked around frantically, my eyes falling upon a man in a wheel chair. There were also 3 other people standing behind him. Two men and one woman. The woman looked to be of African descent, with long white hair, that flowed freely down her back. Her attire was mostly white, with an ‘X’ on the front. To her right, stood a man short brown, almost coppery hair. He had a strange looking visor over his eyes, and stood there with a menacing look about him. Then there was the last one. He was a well build man, with broad shoulders, and a strange hair cut. He kind of reminded me of an animal of sorts, like a wolf or something.

     I looked back at the man in the wheel chair, unsure of what to do. I became scared and started to move away from them, scooting back on my hands and knees.

     “Wh-who are you?” I asked, my eyes never staying on one person in particular.

     The man just sported a kind smile, extending his hand out a bit.

     “We are the X-Men,” he said, gesturing to those around him. “We’re here to help,” he told me. “ _And we’re mutants just like you are Elaine,_ ” his mouth never moved, though his voice was definitely in my head.

     I watched as he wheeled closer to me, before coming to rest in front of me. He just smiled down at me, a warm, genuine smile.

     “Now, if you’ll let me, I’d like to take away your fear Elaine,” he said, staring down at me. _Let me help you…let me put your mind at ease child,_ he spoke into my mind.

     I never even noticed as his hands came to rest on either side of my head, his warm eyes never leaving mine.

 _I’d like that…_ I whispered in my head, feeling a gentle warmth wash over my mind.

     I could feel it calm my raging thoughts, and sooth my fearful mind. It put me at ease as I felt my eyes close, and my head slowly fall to rest on a small portion of his lap as I left consciousness.

†

      “Logan, if you would?” he said, gesturing to the feral man.

      Logan nodded his head, coming over, and kneeling down beside him. He carefully picked the girl up, sweeping one arm around behind her back, and the other under her legs. Upon finding how light she was, he knew that she didn’t eat much. In fact, she seemed a bit malnourished, and that bothered him.

     After Logan had successfully picked her up, the kind man turned to the other two.

     “Scott, Storm, I’m sure you can handle things from here?” he asked, watching as they gave him a nod in response.

     “Yes, we’ll be with you in a few minutes Professor,” Scott assured him. “Just make sure the two of you are settled in and ready to go when I get there. Got that Logan?”

     Logan growled at him.

     “Yeah, I got ya…right here,” he said, making an obscene hand gesture.

     Scott just glared at him.

     “Come Logan, let’s get her on board,” the Professor said, trying to relieve the tension.

     He just grunted, but followed the Professor nonetheless. He did not see the cocky smirk on Scott's face as he left, otherwise, Logan would have let him have it real good.


	2. Man of Blue

**Combusting Hearts**

**Chapter 2**

**Man of Blue**

      When I woke up, I nearly jumped out of my skin, and I looked around frantically. Where was I!?

      Looking around, I found myself in an average sized room, with maroon colored walls and cream trim. There was a dresser with a mirror against one of the walls, a nightstand next to the bed that I was currently resting in, two lamps, a bathroom, a desk, a closet, and two large windows.

     Even though the bed was comfortable, I was still freaking out, trying to determine where I was at. The moment that my hand made contact with the small book on the nightstand, it charged, and exploded. I let out a shriek as it burn part of the nightstand, leaving splinters of wood on the floor.

 _I need to get out of here,_ I thought quietly to myself as I quickly stood up and rushed out of the room.

     I looked around the halls carefully, finding no one in sight, and ran for it. I then hid behind a pillar just as someone walked by. They stopped for a moment though and sniffed the air, stiffening for a moment.

 _Oh no, oh no, oh no!_ I thought.

     I had to run, and I had to run _now_! Quickly, I took off down the hall, not bothering to look back as the man yelled at me. The recognition of his face didn't even click.

     “Hey kid, come back here!” he called, bidding me chase as he ran after me through the hallway.

     I quickly glided down the stairs passed kids, running frantically through the hall as I tried to keep away from the bear of a man that was chasing me. My current fear, was slowly starting to fuel my powers again as I ran, my hands brushing against things every now and then, and then exploding moments later. It was terrifying, and once again, sent people running away from me in fear.

 _Turn right, s_ aid a voice in my head.

     For some reason or another, I decided to listen, and I turned right.

_Turn left at the next corner._

     I turned left at the next corner.

_Turn into your right, 3rd door from the end._

     I followed its instruction, running into the room and closing the door. I was surprised to see the man from yesterday sitting behind a desk, his back to the large window behind him.

_Good morning Elaine._

     I went bug eyed as I came to realize something.

     “It was you giving me all of those directions?” I asked a bit frazzled.

     He merely nodded in response with a warm smile.

     “Yes, it was me. In fact, I sent Logan to go retrieve you, but you’ve apparently been running away from him this whole time,” he explained, turning to face the man that just entered the room. “Ah, Logan my boy, how are you this morning?”

     Logan just glared at him, then at me.

     “Running all around the damn house trying to catch up to her,” Logan replied as he looked at me.

     I looked down in shame. He was just trying to help me and I ran away from him. Smart Elaine, real smart. I sighed quietly, before turning my head back up, and looking at the professor.

     “Um…I don’t mean to be rude sir, but…where am I exactly?” I asked.

     There seemed to be a twinkle in his eye as I asked him this. I then watched as he slowly wheeled out from behind the desk.

     “Why, you are at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters,” he said proudly.

     Wait, Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters as in Charles Xavier? THE Charles Xavier? The one that has been pushing for mutants rights? The man that I’ve wanted to meet since I found out that I was a mutant?

     “You’re…you’re Charles Xavier?” I asked in disbelief, my eyes trained on him.

     “Yes, I am, and this is my school,” he informed me.

     I sighed and fell to my knees, closing my dark eyes. I was finally where I wanted to be after so many years…finally… A thought then popped into my mind.

     “Um…Professor Xavier?”

     He looked down at me.

     “Yes, my dear?”

     “How…how exactly did you manage to find me?” I asked slowly, still a bit confused about everything.

     He just smiled at me.

     “Well, let’s just say, you’re a very _unique_ mutant,” he said, hinting a bit on unique.

     I looked at him, confusion written on my face.

     “What exactly do you mean by _unique_?” I inquired.

     He came closer, wheeling in front of me, placing a hand gently on top of my head.

     “I was able to hear you when you were calling out for help,” he explained, “You were able to project your thoughts quite well might I add.”

     My brows furrowed in confusion, then my face turned into a frown.

 _That means…it’s not just the flames and explosions…there’s…more,_ I thought quietly to myself.

     “You’ve been running for a very long time my dear, but now, you don’t have too any more. We can help you,” he said.

     I just looked down at my hands. My eyes went wide as the tips of my fingers glowed red, causing me to back away quickly, to avoid hurting anyone. I was scared. Unfortunately, when I’m scared, I tend to run. So, out of habit, I quickly got up and ran out of the room. I left the two men in the room staring after me.

     Logan turned to the professor, giving him a questioning look.

     “Should I go after her?” he asked gruffly.

     Charles just shook his head at the question.

     “No. I don’t think there will be any need to do that Logan, but keep an eye on her perhaps? Just to make sure she doesn’t get into trouble,” he offered, before wheeling back behind his desk.

* * *

     I sighed as I let my back slide down against one of the trees outside. I was near one of the courtyards in the school. The people I saw looked so happy as they interacted with each other, smiling, and laughing. I frowned a bit at this, envious at what they had, and what they could do. They were able to be themselves without any problems. They could have friends and regular conversations with each other without any fear or prejudice. Everyone accepted one another. Although, I knew that just like any other…they’d end up being afraid of me.

     Once again, I found myself gazing down at my hand, seeing it glowing a faint red. My emotions were so out of order.

     After sitting there for a good while on the grass, I heard a poofing sound, followed by…

     “Ello,” came a voice from above me.

     I looked up and jumped, accidentally knocking the back of my head against the tree.

     “Ow…” I whined as I held my head in my hands.

     “Sorry about that.”

     I jumped again as the man was now in front of me, staring at me as he crouched down beside me. The man was slightly intimidating, with his dark blue skin, yellow eyes, pointy ears, and pointed tail.

     “W-who are you?” I stuttered, my heart still pounding in my chest.

     He smiled at me before speaking, his tail flicking back and forth behind him.

     “My name is Kurt Vagner,” he said happily. “Although, to my friends in the Munic circus, I vas known as the incredible Nightcrawler,” he explained.

     I just stared at him and he gave me a curious look.

     “Do I make you uncomfortable?” he asked, his tail twitching a bit.

     “No…not exactly,” I said quietly, making him look even more curious than before, so I decided to explain a bit. “Well, you surprised me, yes, but…I’m not used to having people actually talk to me. Not willingly anyway…,” I told him.

     “Vhy is that? You seem fairly normal to me,” he said, tilting his head to the side a bit.

     I looked away for a moment, staring down at the grass as I brushed my fingertips against it. I could practically feel the energy starting to pulsate, causing me to draw back my hand quickly.

     “I’m not exactly your average mutant,” I explained, quickly realizing how that had sounded, so I corrected myself. “What I mean is…I…” I just went silent.

     “Vhat is wrong?” he asked.

     I sighed, before backing up a bit, signaling for him not to come any closer as I picked up a fallen leaf. He sat there and watched me carefully.

     Quietly, I drew in a breath, trying my hardest to concentrate. This would be one of the few times I was actually trying to will my powers to work, instead of having them worm their way out on their own. After about a minute, my hand started to glow red, and the leaf burst into flames.

     “That is amazing,” he said, smiling at me.

     I just shook my head, my hand coming to touch the ground again. The moment it connected, there was a small explosion, causing me to jump and let out a startled yelp.

     “And that is dangerous,” he stated, a slight worried look on his face.

     “You have no clue,” I whispered.

     Somehow, he seemed to catch a sadness in my voice with those ears of his.

     “Vhy don’t you tell me about it zhen? It vill help,” he suggested.

     I just shook my head, my hands curling up a bit.

     “No…I…I can’t. It’s…too painful,” I told him, my brows pulling in sadness.

     The death of my parents wasn’t something that I personally wanted to talk about right now. We were then interrupted by a shout.

     “Hey! Blue boy!” a boy called, starting to walk over to us.

     “Sorry,” he whispered to me, before disappearing.

     “Hey! No fair!” he cried out in annoyance, then he was me and grinned.

     I frowned at this because the look on his face only meant trouble.

     “Hey there cutie. What’s your name?” he asked, practically backing me up against the tree.

     My breath caught in my throat as fear started to kick in. I could feel my chest tighten up a bit, and a warmth starting to run through my fingers as he got even closer to me.

     “Well? Aren’t you going to answer or cat got your tongue?” he asked, raising an eye brow at me.

     My eyes widened as he started to reach a hand out towards me. There was no stopping what was going to happen next. Before he could even blink, the tree behind me exploded, sending both of us flying. Of course, when I fell, I had to end up landing on my shoulder. My body shook from the pain. The only thing that I could hear, was shouts.

     “What’s wrong with you!? Are you nuts! You could have killed me!” the guy yelled, letting down the strange shield he had made of his arm.

     He glared at me hatefully, causing my eyes to start watering. This was exactly why I didn’t like being around people. I just watched helplessly as he started to stomp toward me, then moments later, I heard a poof. I lifted my head to see Kurt crouched down in front of me. He was looking at me with sad, apologetic eyes. He quickly wrapped his arms around my back, and then we were gone.

     A second later, we were in a room, back inside the school.

     “I’m very sorry,” he whispered.

     With his voice, it sounded as though he were ashamed of himself. I just shook my head.

     “No…don’t worry…I’m used to it by now,” I told him, glancing down at my throbbing shoulder.

     I think it came loose from its socket. I sighed quietly.

     “I truly am sorry Miss…um…” it was then that he realized, he had never actually asked me my name. “Vhat is your name? I’m afraid I never got around to asking you,” he said.

     I watched as his tail gave a sharp twitch behind him.

     “Elaine…Elaine Conners,” I told him, my eyes glued to his tail that seemed to always be in constant movement.

     If I were a cat, I would seriously be batting at it right now. Actually, scratch that, I’m still tempted.

     “Such a nice name,” he spoke softly, watching my eyes follow his tail.

     “No it’s not…it’s plain,” I told him, my eyes flitting back and forth with his tail.

     “Does mein tail really interest you that much?” he asked, a small knowing grin on his face.

     My face flushed when he asked that question.

     “I…um…” I couldn’t seem to get the right words out, much less a proper sentence.

     I swear, the next thing that he did had to be on purpose though, it just had to be. He purposely flicked his tail in front of me, wagging it in front of my face a bit, which caused me to bat at it. Then he did it again. This continued for at least a good five to ten minutes, with me ending up on my back, ‘pawing’ at it like a cat. How much more embarrassing can you get?

    The whole time, Kurt seemed to have a quiet smile on his face. He found it calming to have someone see him as normal, minus the tail and everything else of course. Though really, it was a feeling of equality, since I was at ease with him around me. Unfortunately, he ended our play time with that dreaded question of his.

    “Vould you like me to go and get Logan to help you vith your arm?” he asked, causing my eyes to shoot open with a groan.

     He looked at me oddly.

     “Do we have to?” I whined, not looking forward to the pain of having my shoulder put back into place.

     “No, but it vould be a good idea,” he pointed out.

     I sighed quietly.

     “Fine…but…don’t leave me alone with him…okay?” I asked, my confidence falling quickly.

     He just nodded his head in agreement.

     “I’ll be vight back,” he said, before disappearing with a poof.


	3. Like a Brother

**Combusting Hearts**

**Chapter 3**

**Like a Brother**

     I sighed quietly as I sat there staring at the man known as Logan. Kurt had just gotten back moments ago, and now me and the rugged looking man were in a staring contest of sorts.

     He growled at me.

     “Don’t you ever blink?” he asked gruffly with irritation.

I just shrugged my shoulders, immediately regretting it as pain shot through my left one. I held onto it tightly as Logan reached forward with his calloused hand. The feeling was a bit rough, though he was trying to be gentle with me as he pulled me a bit closer to him. I gazed up at him with a bit of fear in my eyes, quickly glancing over at Kurt, who sat but a foot away from my right.

     “This is gonna hurt,” Logan warned, getting a better hold of my arm and shoulder.

     I could see Kurt’s tail flicking furiously around him, his ears twitching slightly as he trained his bright yellow eyes on me. Within moments, I was nearly choking on a scream as my arm was being shoved back into its socket. Tears flowed freely from my eyes as I sat there, quickly curling into a ball the moment that Logan let go. It was so painful.

     “Maybe I should have let the old fuzz ball do it?” Logan said more to himself than anyone else.

     Surprisingly enough, seeing me in pain like this made him shift uncomfortably.

     “Logan, maybe she should stay in here for a vhile vith me?” Kurt inquired, his tail swatting against the ground for a moment.

     “Fine,” Logan sighed, “Less work for me then.”

     Kurt smiled to himself as he watched Logan leave, coming over to me once the door was closed.

     “Are you all vight?” he asked, peering down at my scrunched up face.

     “Do I look alright to you?” I groaned, closing my eyes for a moment, before gazing back up at him.

     “I don’t know, zhat’s vhy I asked,” he said, looking down at me. I sighed quietly.

     “Help me up?” I asked, holding out my uninjured arm.

     He wrapped his tail around my wrist, gently easing me up as he pulled it. I let out a light sigh when I was finally standing up.

     “Thanks Kurt,” I whispered, knowing that he heard me with those ears of his.

     “I know zhat I told him ve’d be in here, but vould you like to get something to eat?” he asked, tail twitching.

     “Yes please?”

* * *

     We were back in his room again after getting food. I didn’t feel comfortable staying down there while eating, so he brought me back up here instead.

     “Kurt?”

     He looked up at me from his bologna on rye sandwich.

     “Ja?” he asked, with a mouth full of sandwich.

     I tried my hardest not to laugh as I looked at him.

     “How do…how do you put up with this all?” I asked carefully.

     I watched as he swallowed what was in his mouth.

     “Vhat do you mean?” he asked, a bit confused.

     I sighed heavily.

     “This,” I said, gesturing with my hands, “Everything around you…all of this crap…” I whispered.

     He placed his sandwich down and crouched down in front of me, carefully placing a hand on my shoulder.

     “You mean…the fear?” he questioned.

     I nodded my head slowly and he sighed.

     “I don’t exactly ‘put’ up vith it,” he explained. “I’ve been hiding for years fraulein, but over the years, zhings change,” he explained.

     “How so?” I asked.

     “Since I came here, I’ve come in contact vith more people that accept me,” he explained.

     I shook my head quickly.

     “But what about that one guy?” I asked.

     He snorted faintly, his tail flicking harshly.

     “Slick…” he whispered the name, but I still caught it.

     “So that’s his name?” I asked.

     Kurt nodded his head in irritation. It also made me realize something.

     “He causes you a lot of problems, doesn’t he Kurt?”

     Even though I asked him this, I already knew the answer to my question. It was obvious by the look on his face.

     “Yes. Slick is vhat some vould call a pain in zhe but,” he stated not so kindly.

     I nodded my head in understanding as I looked at Kurt. Something in my stomach was churning, making me feel sick. I had to lean over, holding my stomach. It was my emotions again that was causing it. This definitely wasn’t good. I just sat there clutching my stomach. Kurt had a pained face as he looked at me.

     “Vhat is zhe matter?” he asked with concern.

     I just shook my head as I stood up, walking over to the door, and holding onto the door frame. I had to get out of here for a bit, before I did some serious damage.

     “Elaine?” Kurt called, but I didn’t answer him.

     Instead, I ran out of the room and down the hall.

     “Elaine!” he called, but it was no use, I was already gone.

     He sighed quietly, looking down at our food, before poofing out of the room.

* * *

     I could already feel my hands heating up. I could see the red in my fingertips as it flared up. This wasn’t something that I liked, and currently, I had no control over it. The only thing that I could do, was try and avoid people at all costs, but of course that didn’t always happen.

     “Hey you!”

     The voice that called me was very familiar. When I turned around, I found the culprit, and I wasn’t very happy with it either. Slick.

     “What’s wrong with you!?” he yelled. “You nearly killed me earlier,” he said in annoyance.

     I just growled at him.

     “If you kept your hands to yourself, then maybe things like that wouldn’t happen,” I told him as I turned back around, and started to walk away.

     He had to be stupid enough and grab my arm.

     “G-get off me!” I yelled, pulling away sharply.

     I didn’t like being touched.

     Before I could actually go anywhere else, his arm stretched and wrapped around me. My mind completely froze up, and my breathing stopped, before quickly going out of control. I closed my eyes, before letting out a scream. The ground around me practically exploded, nearly taking Slick’s arm off. I just couldn’t stop it as the ground gave way in different areas, and my hands glowed bright red. This was what I was trying to avoid, but now it was happening again.

 _I just want to disappear!_  I cried as a tree exploded a few feet away.

     “Freak! You’re out of control!” Slick yelled, before running off with his bloodied arm.

* * *

 _Logan, go to her,_ the Professor said as he watched from his window.

     He knew that Logan would hear him, and as if on cue, moments later he was running outside towards the young child.

* * *

     “G-get away!” I yelled as Logan came toward me.

     I didn’t want anyone else getting hurt because of me.

     “Kid, you have to calm down,” he said, coming ever closer, even as the ground was exploding around him.

     “I…I can’t!” I cried, hugging myself in pain.

     I was freaking out and it was causing me stress, which only fueled my powers further. I watched as the ground exploded in front of him, taking away skin. I let out another scream as a result, crying as I saw him lay there on his back. What I didn’t see, given the fact that my head was down, was that he was getting back up. His skin was healing in the process. What scared me the most, was when he put his arms around me.

     “L-L-Logan!” I cried, trying to pull away, but he wouldn’t let me.

     He just held me against him as I shook.

     “Just calm down kid. You can’t hurt me,” he said, trying to calm me down.

     It didn’t really do that much though as we sat there, things exploding around me in pieces. I just couldn’t take it and started crying. Logan continued to hold onto me as I cried, my powers seeming to simmer down a bit. I just couldn’t take it anymore, just like every other time that this happened, I couldn’t handle it. I couldn’t handle myself, I couldn’t handle the situation, and I couldn’t handle my powers. Everything was always out of control. I used to be a devout Christian when I was younger, but now, it was like it all disappeared. The moment I turned mutant, all of that went out the door. I was never able to look back again.

     Soon, I found myself hugging Logan, crying against him. Normally, when I cried like this, my powers took free rein in a situation like this, but they didn’t. Instead, they just seemed to stop.

     Logan hugged me back as we sat there. He just sat there holding me against him like a protective brother. A protective brother that wanted dearly to help his sister.

     Before I knew it, I ended up falling asleep against him. I was completely exhausted, and my body just gave out on me completely. Nothing could wake me now, nothing could do anymore damage at the moment…or at least that’s what I thought anyway.


	4. Erik Lehnsherr

**Combusting Hearts**

**Chapter 4**

**Erik Lehnsherr**

_I sat there reading a book quietly, listening to the quiet music of my radio that was playing. I only lifted my head when I heard yelling downstairs. My parents were fighting again._

_I sighed quietly as I placed my book down, going to my door, and walking downstairs. I nearly got hit in the face with a glass plate as I entered the room._

_“Mom!” I yelled, ducking out of the way in fear so as not to get hit._

_She stopped, watching me hold onto the wall in fear. My father yelled at her._

_“Look what you almost did Helen!” he yelled. “You nearly hit our daughter.” She just glared at him._

_“Well, it’s your fault that all of this started to begin with!” she shouted, throwing another plate at him._

_It shattered against the wall as he ducked out of the way, pieces flying all over the place._

_"You never should have brought that woman into our home!" my mother yelled. "This home! Where our daughter sleeps!"_

_“Elaine, please go back upstairs sweetie,” my father said, walking toward me._

_My mom held another plate in her hands, getting ready to throw it at him. I yelled at him, pushing him out of the way, and getting hit myself. I could feel the blood rolling down the side of my face as I stood there, the warmth of it slowly spreading through me like wild fire._ _The moment that the plate hit me, it was like something inside me clicked. A switch had been thrown. Something was triggered…something afoul._

_“Elaine?” my dad called, but I didn’t answer._

_The moment he touched me, flames broke out, surrounding him. He cried as he tried to get rid of them. My mom screamed as they covered the walls. Small explosions soon followed, blowing out the wall behind me, sending debris all over the place. My parents covered their faces, but it did little good._

_“Elaine, stop it!” my mom screamed, but her voice was met with another explosion, followed by another scream as the ceiling fell on top of her._

_“Helen!” my dad yelled, running toward her._

_I couldn’t stop it though, I had absolutely no control. Moments later, the entire house exploded, leaving nothing behind._ _I was left beneath the rubble, laying there for hours, til someone found me. I couldn’t even see when they brought me out. I was left with a pair of eyes staring at me, and a chunk of metal from the house floating above me._

* * *

     I woke up with a yell, falling out of bed. I quickly looked around the room, tears falling from my eyes.

     “M-mom…D-dad…” I cried into my hands.

     It was entirely my fault that they were dead.

     I jumped when I heard a knock at my door, quickly trying to dry my tears, but it was no use. My eyes soon met those of Logan’s, and I was stuck. When he saw me, his brows knitted together a bit. He wasn’t sure what was going on with me as he knelt down in front of me.

     “You alright kid?” he asked, watching as a few more tears fell.

     All I could do was shake my head no as I set there. I couldn’t really do much of anything else, but let the tears continue to fall as images of my dream haunted me.

     “It’s all my fault,” I whimpered, curling up on the floor.

     “Hey…” he whispered, kneeling down in front of me.

     He placed a hand on my shoulder, pulling me up a bit, until I was laying against him some. It helped so that I wouldn’t end up choking on my own tears and for that I was grateful.

     For a while, I just laid there crying, just trying to catch my breath and breathe. It was so hard to get a proper breath in, without just putting it back out.

* * *

     About a hour later, Logan could be seen with his back leaning against the bottom of Elaine's bed, and her head on his leg. His hand, was resting on top of her head, slowly running his fingers through her dark hair. Once again, she was asleep. This time though, her dreams weren’t haunting her, at least for a while anyway.

     Even though Logan could have left at any given point in time, he didn’t. He continued sitting there with her, watching as her chest continued to rise and fall. She felt small in his arm, almost like a child, her hand curled around his white tank.

 _Logan? t_ he Professor called.

     Logan grunted for a moment.

 _I’m busy,_ he thought in his head, knowing that the Professor would hear him.

     After that, he didn’t hear anything else, so he closed his eyes.

* * *

     The next day, I was called to the Professor’s office. He said that he wanted to talk to me about something important, so I obliged to his request.

     “You wanted to talk to me Professor?” I asked as I closed the door behind me.

     I found the Professor sitting behind his desk, with his hands folded together. I caught sight of Logan standing propped up against the wall with his eyes closed merely a few feet away from me as I stood there.

     “Yes, please have a seat?” he said.

     Once I was comfortable in my seat, he spoke again.

     “Due to recent events, I think that it’s time that we start trying to work on your powers,” he said, looking at me from behind his desk. “I also realize how uncomfortable you must feel about this Elaine, but it’s something that we must do,” he explained.

     I just sat there, turning my eyes down to my hands. The last thing that I wanted was to mess with my powers. I was afraid that everything would just go out of control like it just like it always does.

     “Elaine?” he called, making me look over at him. “I know that you can do this if you try my dear. It just takes practice,” he said, but I was still doubtful about it.

     He paused for a few moments, letting it sink in, before speaking again.

     “Now as far as regular classes go, we’ll try putting you in with other students for the time being. You will also be spending a few hours alone with me each day to work on your powers,” he said, before turning to Logan. “Logan has also agreed to help with your daily training,” he added, making my eyes widen a bit.

     “What? But…I…” I tried, but I couldn’t seem to get the words out properly.

     “Don’t worry Elaine, everything will be fine,” he said.

     At that moment, Logan shoved himself off the wall, and walked over to me.

     “I’ll be fine kid, just give me all ya got,” he said, before walking out of the room.

     I looked at him like he was crazy. Give him all I got? You’ve got to be freaking kidding me!?

     "Are you nuts!?" I yelled after him.

* * *

     The whole rest of that week, I was either in classes or practicing in private with the Professor, and occasionally with Logan of course. To be honest, the part with Logan was the scariest. I was so afraid of hurting him, and then whenever I did, his skin would just grow back. It was rather unnerving to be honest. When I thought that I had nearly taken his arm off was the worst. The only thing that I was able to see, was bones, and metal. That left me questioning his anatomy in general.

     When in class, I tried my best to remain in control and remain calm around everyone, but it didn’t always seem to work. It didn’t help matters much that I had to see Slick everyday in class. I already felt guilty and uncomfortable enough around him to begin with and all that he seemed to do was rub it in.

     At the moment though, I was sitting outside, just sitting there and picking at my food. To be honest, I just really wasn’t that hungry. Really, I was more occupied with my powers, trying to figure out how they worked.

     I just sat there staring at a rock in front of me.

* * *

     Else where in the mansion, the Professor was escorting around a visitor that had arrived a few hours ago. He was escorting an older gentleman like himself, simply talking about different things as they went. The man in question seemed to put most of the residence at the mansion on edge though.

     “So, Charles, what have you really been up to lately?” the man asked as they rounded a corner.

     “Oh, nothing really Erik, just the usual sort of things,” Charles said as he rolled along side his old friend.

     “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve heard that you’ve come into possession of a new student, a rather peculiar one might I add,” he stated, looking into some of the classrooms as they walked by in hopes of spying said student.

     “So, you’ve been listening in on things again I see,” the Professor said. “It’s true, we do have a new student. She’s a rather interesting girl I must say. I’ve never seen anything like her. I only wish that I could have gotten to her sooner though,” he finished, looking outside.

     Erik followed his gaze, which happened to land on that of a young girl. She had dark hair that came down to about her shoulders with red streaks in it. She was also of average height from what he could tell.

     “She’s been in my care for nearly 2 weeks now,” Charles explained, his eyes still gazing at the young girl, who seemed to be staring at something on the ground. “I’ve been trying to work with her on her powers as of late, and she seems to be making some progress,” he said.

     “Ah, progress…progress is always good,” Erik said with a light chuckle.

     His attention was quickly pulled back to the young girl though upon hearing a small explosion, followed by yelling. With the window open, they could hear everything that was being said.

     “Kurt! Don’t scare me like that!” she yelled, brushing bits of rock off of her.

     The blue boy just laughed.

     “Sorry, I did not mean to startle you,” he said, trying to apologize.

     She just threw her apple at him, which he promptly caught with his tail.

     The two gentlemen watched as her mouth fell open, eyes staring at her blue friend.

     “Give me back my apple,” she said, holding her hand out.

     Kurt shook his head, looking at the apple as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

     “You did not seem to vant it vhen you zhrew it at me,” he said, biting back a smile.

     She just glared at him.

     “Give me back my apple,” she said, lunging at him, only to fall face first into the dirt as he disappeared. “Hey, no fair Kurt,” she called as she looked around her.

     Kurt was nowhere to be found though, until her apple fell on her head, bouncing off and landing on the ground at her feet.

     Charles let loose a chuckle as he watched this, smiling softly at the scene before him. Erik was also watching them carefully, taking everything in.

     “I should like to meet her if you don’t mind Charles,” Erik nudged as he turned his eyes to his friend.

     “Of course Erik,” Charles consented as he rolled off, Erik following behind him.

* * *

     I stood there laughing as Kurt kept poofing around me. He just wouldn’t stay still.

     I reached out to grab him, but only ended up grabbing his tail. The next thing I know, I am clinging to a tree branch quite a few feet up in the air.

     “Kurt!” I screamed, hanging from the branch.

     He just sat on the ground below, laughing at me.

     “Kurt, get me down!” I yelled, my legs flailing furiously as my fingers tried to keep their hold on the thick branch.

     “No, I zhink I’ll let you hang zhere for a few minutes fraulein,” he said with a chuckle.

     Oh, how he was going to get it when I got down. That is, if I ever get down.

     “Kurt!” I cried, watching the blue-tailed devil roll on the ground laughing, his tail twitching as he went.

     He only stopped laughing when my shoe fell off and hit him in the head.

     “Autsch!” he cried, rubbing his head.

     “Get me down!” I cried.

     “What’s going on here?” the sound of the Professor’s voice startled me, causing me to let go of the branch.

     I let out a yelp as I fell, closing my eyes, only to be stopped half way. When I opened them, I found myself sitting on a large, thin metal plate. The only thing that I could do was watch in awe at the person before me whom had his hand raised, slowly lowering me to the ground.

     “Elaine, I’d like you to meet an old friend of mine, Sir Erik Lehnsherr. Erik, this is Miss Elaine Conners,” the Professor said, introducing us.

     The man held his hand out to me, but I just stared at it, still awestruck. The Professor just let out a small laugh at this. I blushed faintly and gave him my hand, watching as he brought it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on the back of my hand.

     “The pleasure is all mine Miss Conners,” he said, bowing lightly.

     I stared at him, not noticing how on edge Kurt was at that very moment.

     “Elaine…” Kurt hissed, poking me with the point of his tail.

     “Ow!” I yelled, smacking at his tail.

     Erik watched us with curiosity as did the Professor. I didn’t know what was up with Kurt, but I was going to find out. So, I followed him when he ran off, catching up to him.

     “What was that for?” I asked, slightly annoyed.

“He’s trouble,” Kurt said, glaring back at where we had come from.

     I looked at him curiously, a look of confusion adorning my face. How was it that such a nice man was trouble. If he were, then why would the Professor bother letting him in the school?

     “What do you mean?” I asked.

     “He’s the enemy,” he said quietly, carefully scanning around him as though searching for something.

     This didn’t make any sense. If he was the enemy, why would the Professor let him in?

     “Ve should get going,” Kurt said as he grabbed hold of my wrist, pulling me along, and back inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright everyone, that was chapter 4. I hope that everyone liked it? Please, let me know what you think? I'd love to hear from everyone. Especially, since I'm reworking this little by little as I go. Even if you have music suggestions. I often listen to music to help me write. Thanks everyone!


	5. Teddy Bear

**Combusting Hearts**

**Chapter 5**

**Teddy Bear**

     Today has seriously been hell. It’s been one week since Mr. Lehnsherr, Magneto, came to visit. So far, all of today has been a mess. People just won’t leave me alone, and I know that Slick has something to do with it. They just keep pestering me to no end. It was stupid question after stupid question. Not to mention, it’s already bad enough that I’ve been waking up every night in the middle of the night from nightmares. My mind just can’t seem to stay calm, and as a result, I haven’t been getting much sleep. I’ve constantly been thinking about things and why I’m even here. Heck, I even failed my test because I was falling asleep in class.

     The Professor’s been trying his best to help me calm my nerves, but it hasn’t been doing much good unfortunately. Despite our sessions together and the long talks, my mind still seems to be in a place of its own, unable to be reconciled with things.

     I sighed as I stepped out of my classroom, bag over my shoulder and books in hand. All that I wanted to do was just go up to my room and lay down. Though as fate would have it, it wasn’t going to happen.

     “So, how’d you end up here anyway, huh?” one of Slick’s friends asked me as he came up behind me, shoving me a bit.

     I merely glared at him at him in response, before opening my mouth.

     “Leave me alone Ram,” I growled as I pushed away from him, trying to head up stairs.

     Like an idiot, his other friend went and blocked my path, staring at me with deep purple eyes. It was like he thought that he could stop me with them as he stood on the stairs. Fat chance.

     “Did your parents send you away and give you some stupid excuse? Or did you run away, huh?” the other one asked.

     “Shut up…” I growled.

     They just gave me a strange look, before grinning.

     “Huh? What’s wrong? We strike a nerve?” Ram laughed. “Hey Sham, I’m starting to have fun with this one,” Ram said to his purple eyed companion.

    “I bet your parents were too afraid of you that they kicked you out of the house,” Sham laughed.

    “Shut up!” I yelled as I shoved them away from me.

     They just laughed at me as I tried to get around them. Though when my hands started to glow red, they backed away, or at least Sham did. Ram just stood there taunting me until I hit him, burning him in the process. Even part of his shirt managed to catch on fire.

     “Witch!” he yelled, trying to put out his shirt.

     Sham came toward me after that, only to have a small explosion go off, followed by another.

     I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I ran. I didn’t really care where I was going, I just ran. I was running away from things again like I always do. Then again, what could I do? All that I ever do is cause trouble and destruction where ever I go. I was tired of it and just wanted to disappear from everything. Why couldn't the Professor just take it all away? Just shut everyone up and make them leave me alone? I mean, I already knew why I was at the school, so why did everyone have to keep reminding me of that fact?

* * *

     “Professor, Elaine’s gone missing,” Kurt said as he burst into the office, Logan soon following.

     Charles looked at the two of them for a moment, before concentrating on something.

     “She has to be here somewhere…” he started, before his brows furrowed. “She’s gone…”

     “Professor?” Kurt questioned, watching as the man quickly wheeled out from behind his desk, and headed to the door.

     “I’m going to try and use Cerebro to find her. At the moment, she’s not only a danger to others, but also to herself,” he said, quickly wheeling down the hall.

     Logan and Kurt followed behind him to the elevator, where they went down to the basement. As a result, Kurt let out a small shiver as the cool air made contact with his skin, quickly pulling his jacket closer to himself.

     “Come on blue boy,” Logan grunted as he grabbed Kurt by the back of his jacket and pulled him along.

     They stood there as the system preformed a retinal scan on the Professor’s eye, before granting him access to Cerebro, the doors slowly sliding open.

     “Welcome Professor,” came the automated voice that belonged to Cerebro.

     Charles let loose a small smile upon hearing the female voice that had been programmed. He then wheeled in front of the helmet that rested on a small pedestal, awaiting for him to use it.

     “Just stay where you are boys, this should only take a few minutes,” Charles said over his shoulder, before carefully positioning the helmet on his head.

     Suddenly, images of red and white soon projected in front of him, showing him every person in the United States. The images ranged from men to women and children, people of all age, mutant and human alike. Though, that was not what he wanted at the moment. No, he wanted to find Elaine. With that in mind, he narrowed down to the red images, sifting through the ones in the surrounding area. Her image appeared before him when he locked onto her. She looked scared. She was trying to run away from everything again.

     “The train station,” the Professor  whispered.

     Before they could even do anything, Logan was gone.

* * *

     “One ticket for the next train out please?” I asked the teller.

     She obliged, handing me a ticket in exchange for my money, no questions asked.

     I let out a sigh as I looked around me. There were so many people here and they were all going somewhere. I watched as a lady got up from a bench with her daughter, walking away toward a train that had just arrived. Her little girl left her teddy bear behind without even realizing it.

     “Ma’am,” I called, trying to get her attention.

     She didn’t hear me as I called for her. I looked down at the little brown bear, before looking over at the train that they had entered. It was my train.

* * *

     Logan sped down the road, the train station in view. He hoped that he would get to her before her train left. Once he got inside, he looked around, but there was no sight of her. So, he made his way to one of the ticket windows. He asked the lady if she had seen anyone matching Elaine’s description and was pleased when she said yes, pointing him in the direction of her train.

* * *

     “Um, excuse me Ma’am?” I called out quietly.

     The lady turned around upon hearing my voice. She raised an eyebrow in question as she looked at me.

     “I think you forgot this,” I said, holding out the bear in front of me.

     The little girl burst out with joy upon seeing it, her eyes going wide in surprise.

     “Teddy!” she cried, shooting out of her seat without the slightest bit of hesitation.

     I smiled as I knelt down before her, holding the bear out to her. She took it gratefully.

     “Now, say thank you, Emma,” the woman insisted.

     “Thank you!” she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around me in a hug.

     I froze upon feeling her small arms around me. I realized that a child was actually hugging me, a complete stranger at that. She smiled at me as she let go, hopping back up into her seat beside her mother. I nodded my head, before going and sitting a few seats back near the end. I sat next to the window, closing my eyes as I brought my knees to my chest.

      _Maybe its for the best,_ I thought to myself, letting out a sigh as I thought on a few things.

     It couldn't have been more than a few minutes later when I felt the seat shift slightly, weight being put upon it.

     “This seat taken?”

     “Logan…?”

     He smiled at me a bit as I sat there, my eyes slowly starting to water.

     “So, why ya runnin’?” he asked, easily pushing the hood of my jacket off of my head so that he could see my face.

     When I didn’t answer, he decided to take a different approach.

     “You know…running’s not everything kid,” he said.

     “Yeah…but it’s the only thing I’m good at,” I whispered.

     “Bull. Everyone’s good at something,” he pushed, inconspicuously resting his arm behind me on the seat. “Personally, I like being a pain in Scott’s ass,” he joked as he wrapped his arm around my neck tightly, giving me a noogie.

     I laughed through the tears forming in my eyes as I tried to push him off.

     “Yeah, and mine too,” I said, pushing against him.

     He just chuckled, before letting go of me and sitting back in his seat, a breath of air escaping him.

     “So, feel like going back now or should we see where this train takes us?” he asked.

     I looked at him for a moment, thinking over my options. On one hand, I could just stay and sit where I was, completely leave everything behind. After all, that's all I ever seemed to do over the last few years. At the same time, this would be the first time I'd truly be leaving something behind. I'd never truly had a place to call home without scrunching my nose up in disgust. Despite the crap that I was put through some times, there seemed to be people that genuinely cared about me, Logan seeming to be one of them it he was also willing to go along for the ride. So, after contemplating my options, I chose to give things another chance.

     “Let’s go back,” I said, standing up with him.

     “Good, cuz I really didn’t feel like having to drag your butt back there,” he said with a grin.

     “Hey!” I huffed, shoving him towards the door.

     He didn’t care though, merely laughing at my feeble attempts.

     “Well, what’s life without any fun?”

     That’s it. He’s had it. With that, I chased him off the train and outside into the open air. I felt a lot better not being in a crowded area anymore. Being around so many people at once makes me highly uncomfortable and sends my nerves through the roof. It's also another reason why I never really liked school. Just too many people crammed into one solid place.

     “You ready kid?” Logan asked as he held me by the back of my shirt.

     I just groaned in annoyance, rolling my eyes.

     “Yes! Now, will you put me down?” I yelled, throwing my arms around.

     A moment later, he dropped me on the ground with a thud, pain radiating through my butt.

     “Ow…” I glared at him, only receiving an innocent grin in return.

     “Now, put this on,” he ordered as he pushed a helmet into my hands.

     My eyes widened in fright, slowly putting two and two together.

     “Oh no…you’ve _got_ to be kidding me?” I exclaimed.

     I didn’t realize that he had ridden here on the back of a motorcycle.

     “Not scared are ya?” he laughed, throwing his leg over the seat, and mounting it.

     He started up the engine a moment later, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. I just turned my head away from him, before placing the helmet on my head, swallowing tightly as I strapped it to my head with a couple of shaky and reluctant tugs.

     “You wish,” I muttered, getting on behind him.

     I caught the sight of a smirk on his face as he deliberately revved the engine.

     “I suggest you hold on,” he warned, before taking off.

     The moment that thing was in motion, my arms were wrapped tightly around his waist, clinging to him for dear life as he sped down the road at high speed. The wind itself whipped through my hair, sending it flailing about in a mass of crazy tendrils. Luckily, the visor on the helmet kept it from smacking me in the face half a million times. Although, after a few minutes, I calmed down a bit. Slowly, I loosened my grip a bit, but I didn't bother removing my face from Logan's back.

     Unfortunately, my fear came back about half way back as we heard a loud roar echo through the air. The sound of a tree being unearthed soon followed, and before we knew it, one was crashing and landing in front of us.

     “Hang on!” Logan yelled, but it did little good as I went flying to the ground a very seconds later, a scream erupting from my lips.

     I swear, I am so thankful for helmets because my head was the first thing to hit the ground. The pavement sent a wave of pain through my body and head, causing my world to spin and rush out of control. I couldn’t even see straight as I lay there, staring through the cracked visor of my helmet. Everything just seemed to swirl into one giant blur.

     “Hey kid, you alright?” Logan called, but I didn’t answer him.

     In fact, I couldn’t answer him at the moment, completely at a loss for words. I didn’t know if anything was broken or not, the only thing that I did know was that my head was throbbing.

     “Hey kid, can you hear me?” he asked, kneeling down in front of me and flipping the visor up.

     He could see my unfocused eyes as he stared at me, guilt written all over his face.

     “Sabertooth!” he cried out in anger.

     It was obvious that he was furious and the beast seemed to relish that fact, only deciding to make it worse.

     “Such a weak frail,” Sabertooth growled, circling around us one step at a time.

     I couldn’t really see him as I lay there, trying to will away the blurriness of my eyes. From what I could tell, he was a large man, taller than Logan actually. He also had a long mane of untamed hair that rolled past his shoulders. What seemed to be an animal pelt was wrapped around his shoulders as odd as it may seem.

     “Your fights with me, leave her out of this,” Logan growled, trying to block me from the beasts view by standing in front of me.

     It did him little good though, since the man continued circling around us, drawing ever closer to us.

     “So weak…” Sabertooth breathed, kicking dirt and rocks up in my face.

     I let out a groan as I tried to move, but I only caused myself pain. I’ll be surprised if after all of this, nothing is broken. I then watched as the man crouched down on all fours like an animal, looking ready to pounce at any given moment. To say that I was frightened would be an understatement. I was like a bird with a broken wing, while he was the quick, cunning cat that wanted to catch me in his large paws and eat me whole without a second thought. The sad thing is that the bird would have at least had a chance, while I was basically backed into a corner with no escape.

     “I wanna…go…home,” I whispered quietly, trying to keep my eyes open.

     “Hey kid, don’t fall asleep on me,” Logan said, trying to get my attention as he glared down Sabertooth.

     I didn’t really hear him though as the beast's gaze remained locked on mine. I barely caught the gleam in the man’s eyes as my unsteady breathing gave away my weakness and vulnerability.

     “Wan…go…home…” I murmured, unable to keep my eyes open, my body slowly trying to close itself down.

     “Elaine!” Logan shouted, my eyes pulling back open a bit at the sudden noise.

     “Why don’t we play a little game of…cat and mouse?” Sabertooth suggested, his eyes traveling from Logan, then back down to me.

     The predator vs. it’s prey. This was not a good position for me to be in. That thought was soon proven as he lunged forward, barreling straight into Logan, and knocking him off of his feet. I could do nothing but lay there as Logan was thrown into a tree yards away, a faint groan being uttered from his lips.

     “Hello…frail,” he purred, coming to hover over me.

     He gazed down at me with a murderous look in his eyes, scaring the crap out of me. I whimpered when he tried to pick me up, grabbing hold of my forearm in an iron grip. Although, as per usual when I’m scared or something happens, my powers act up and respond on their own. Within moments, he was dropping me back onto the ground, letting out a murderous cry as I managed to set his arm aflame, burning it. Like Logan, I watched as his skin grew back, repairing and healing itself. Then, out of rage, he threw me across the ground. I could feel tears falling from my eyes as I lay there, my body twisted uncomfortably from the way I landed. Now, something might possibly be broken. I then watched as he slowly made his way over to Logan, cracking his neck and knuckles as he got closer. I couldn’t let him hurt Logan…

_Please…for once in my life…work when I need you…_

     That’s what I prayed in my head as I reluctantly pulled my hand up, gazing in Sabertooth’s direction. I drew in a shaky breath, willing my powers to work.

     “Please…” I whispered, tears slowly falling from my eyes and soaking the ground beneath me.

 _Work!_ I shouted desperately in my mind, the word seeming to echo all around me as explosions and fire suddenly emerged.

     An explosion separated Logan and Sabertooth, before flames flew at the beast, making him growl in rage. He stood there, fighting at the flames as Logan got to his feet, slowly backing away and coming towards me.

     “Hey…you…okay kid?” he asked hesitantly, covering me as another large explosion went off, sending debris everywhere.

     My breath was heavy and tired, body sore and bruised, skull pounding to no end. I couldn’t move anymore, my arm finally falling flat on the ground, and my eyes slowly fluttering closed. I had reached my limit and was completely drained. There was absolutely nothing left that I could do. Nothing, but let the tempting darkness take over me.


	6. Remy LeBeau

**Combusting Hearts**

**Chapter 6**

**Remy LeBeau**

     The following day, everyone was in the Professor’s office, Logan, Scott, Storm, Hank, and Kurt. They were all there upon Charles request.

     “Due to recent events, I’ve decided to place a word of caution on everyone here. Magneto is likely planning on trying to get Elaine to join him. I believe that’s why Sabertooth was sent out yesterday, in an attempt to grab her from our hands,” Charles explained, pausing for a moment to look around the room at everyone. “She is scared and vulnerable at the moment. One wrong move could send her over the edge again and make her run. We need to give her a reason to stay, to feel safe, and feel like she has somewhere that she belongs. We need to make her feel like family,” he said, grabbing mostly everyone’s attention.

     “But Professor, how are ve to do this? I agree she must feel comfortable, but how are ve to do zhis on our own?” Kurt asked, looking around the room at everyone else.

     His tail flicked behind him tensely as he waited for a response, eyeing each individual within the room.

     “We’re not Kurt. I’ve already called in a favor, an old friend of ours from Louisiana,” Charles said, catching the look of distaste on Logan’s face. “Is there a problem Logan?”

     “Yeah there’s a problem. You can’t seriously be calling in the Cajun?”

     “Despite what your feelings may be toward him, I have," Charles informed him. "The two of you are going to have to learn to get along Logan, whether you like it or not. For Elaine’s sake, we _must_ do this,” Charles said.

     “But why him?” Logan groaned.

     Scott glared at him for this.

     “Logan…Elaine needs something familiar, someone that she can relate to, someone that can understand what she’s going through. Gambit’s powers are more similar to hers than anyone else’s currently residing here. She _needs_ that familiarity to put her at ease Logan,” the Professor explained.

     Logan just grunted, before walking out of the room, hands stuffed in his pockets.

     “Whatever,” he muttered, not really caring to argue anymore.

     Once Logan left, the Professor turned to Scott.

     “Scott, would you mind preparing a room for Gambit? Preferably, one close to Elaine’s if possible. He should be arriving late this evening,” he said.

     “Of course Professor, I’ll get started right away,” he replied, briskly walking out of the room.

     Charles then turned to the remaining three that were still in the room.

     “Hank, if you and Storm wouldn’t mind checking in on Elaine, I’d like to have a word with Kurt,” he said, hinting faintly on the privacy.

* * *

     Later that evening, a man arrived at the mansion, wearing a hat and long brown trench coat. He had kind of medium brown hair, a bit lighter than Logan’s, and it was just long enough to place in a small pony tail if need be. The man in question was met at the front door by Professor Charles Xavier.

     “Ah, Gambit, good to see you again,” he greeted, ushering the man inside the warmth of the mansion.

     Gambit stretched his back when he got inside, stiff from the long train ride up.

     “You look tired, perhaps some sleep Gambit?” the Professor suggested.

     Gambit nodded his head in response, rubbing the back of his neck.

     “Gambit think sleep be good tonight,” he agreed, letting the man show him to his room. “So, when Gambit get to meet le petite cheri?” he inquired, trying to plan a few things out in advance.

     “Tomorrow perhaps, but for now, rest my friend,” he pressed lightly, wheeling off down the hall, and leaving Gambit to his room.

     Just as Gambit was about to lie down and go to sleep, he heard a knock at his door.

     “Gambit here,” he chuckled, placing his hands behind his head.

     His eyes fell on Logan a moment later, nearly rolling his eyes. It figured that Logan would come and find him.

     “Well, if it isn’t the Ragin’ Cajun himself,” Logan spoke roughly, leaning against the door.

     “What you want wolf man?” Gambit asked, closing his eyes.

     “Just came to remind ya to behave,” he grunted angrily.

     “What’s your problem?” Gambit shot at him.

     “Professor says we gotta play _nice_ with each other,” Logan spat.

     Gambit just groaned upon hearing this. Being civil with Logan was like trying to potty train a two year old. You can’t do it.

     “D’en be _nice_ an’ leave Gambit ta sleep,” he taunted, wanting him out of his room.

     Logan just flipped him the bird with his claws, slamming the door behind him, the frame rattling a bit.

     “Tomorrow gonna be a long day,” he muttered to himself as he closed his eyes, soon falling asleep.

* * *

     The next morning, Gambit was rudely awakened by the banging of pots and pans out side of his door. The sound was so loud, it startled him, causing him to accidentally hit his head on the headboard of the bed.

     “Is too early for d’is,” he groaned, rubbing the back of his head and face.

     Unfortunately, Gambit knew exactly _who_ it was. Mr. Let’s-play-nice-and-fake-it.

     “Gambit up!" he grumbled. "I said I's up!” he yelled, throwing his hands up into the air in frustration.

     The man was already being a pain in the butt and Gambit hadn’t even had time to do anything yet. The banging only stopped when Gambit went to his door and opened it. Logan stood shinning a flashlight straight in the Cajun’s face, blinding him for a moment, before he decided to shield his eyes.

     “Rise and shine, Sunshine,” Logan greeted.

     “Can I least get dressed before we start d’is?”

     Logan looked at the Cajun for a moment, finding him only in a pair of black slacks from the night before. He was also accompanied by a messy head of hair. This nearly made him laugh.

     “Just don’t take too long primping,” he chuckled, before leaving Gambit to his morning routine.

     Gambit made good on his time as he put on his favorite lavender button up shirt. He looked in mirror as he fixed the collar and straightened the sleeve. He grinned upon combing his hair, fixing it as it should be.

     “Gambit look good,” he laughed, before placing his boots on, and leaving his room.

     He figured he wouldn’t need his coat, so he left it laying on the chair by the desk, making sure to place a full deck of cards in his back pocket. When Gambit got downstairs to the kitchen, he found Logan sitting in the corner of the room with a young girl. They were talking, but barely. As he got closer, he noticed that she didn’t look too good. The poor girl had a bandage wrapped around her head, along with her left hand and arm. She looked terrible, well not terrible, she was beautiful, but she looked like a wreck. Her red streaked hair was a bit matted in the back and she looked at bit pale, but other than that, she was beautiful. He just couldn’t tell what color her eyes were from where he was standing.

     “Gambit,” a voice called from his right.

     Turning around, he found the Professor coming up beside him.

     “I’m glad to see you up and awake, I was afraid you might miss lunch,” he said.

     “Lunch?” Gambit’s brows furrowed in confusion.

     “Yes, it’s almost 1 in the afternoon,” Charles explained.

     “Damn him,” he muttered under his breath.

     Both Gambit and Charles watched as Scott Summers a.k.a. Cyclops, went over to the girl. He'd come in from the back, dirt and grime on his hands. They watched as he said something to her and she pushed her untouched plate of food away, before getting up and leaving, exiting through the same way that Scott had come in through. Logan looked like he was going to punch the guy as she walked away outside into the courtyard.

     “He never was good with words,” the Professor sighed. “She’s only been awake for maybe a couple hours and he already ruined her day.”

     “So…d’is be petite cheri?” Gambit questioned, shifting his weight onto his other foot.

     “Yes, that was Elaine”

     That was all Gambit needed to hear as he walked off in the direction Elaine had gone, ignoring the look on Logan's face as he went, before swiping an apple from one of the fruit baskets as he left.

* * *

     I growled a bit as I kicked pebbles with my feet. Scott’s words kept repeating in my head.

_“So, I hear you finally decided to get yourself under control.”_

     It irritated me to no end. I just woke up and he was already on my case. I mean, can’t anyone _ever_ give me a break? I was starting to wonder if I should have agreed with Logan, and not just continued to run away. By now, I could have been long gone on that train to who knows where. Maybe I could have gone to Maine. At least it would be quiet there. I sighed as I slid my back down one of the walls, feeling the roughness of it scrape against my still sore back. It hurt even as I pulled my knees to my chest, resting my head in my arms. I sat there for a few minutes, everything around me was mainly quiet, save for the chirping of the birds. When I brought my head up a bit, I noticed a playing card on the ground in front of me. I picked it up in my hand, inspecting it curiously as I turned it back and forth in my hand. Where did it come from?

     “Bonjour, Cheri” I jumped upon hearing the voice, knocking my head into the wall painfully.

     I dropped the card as I held my head, groaning in pain.

     “Sorry ‘bout d’at Cheri, didn’ mean ta startle ya,” came a thick Cajun accent.

     I looked up to see a man sitting above me on the ledge, his feet dangling down near my head, clad in dark brown boots.

     “W-who are you?” I asked, gazing up at him from my spot on the ground.

     “Name’s Remy, Remy LeBeau, but you can call me Gambit cheri,” he said, introducing himself.

     I have to admit, he was handsome to say the least, but still…what really caught my attention were his eyes. His eyes were red and black. The iris was ruby red, everything else was pitch black. They’re kind of like mine, but mine can pass off as normal as long as you’re not paying that much attention to them. I have the white in my eyes, the iris itself is red and black.

     “Min’ tellin’ ol’ Remy yours?” he asked, smiling at me.

     “Elaine…Elaine Conners,” I said, looking up at him with slight curiosity in my eyes. “Why are you talking to me anyway?”

     “Well, ya seem lonely cheri. No one should be alone,” he told me, making my eyes water a bit.

     I looked away, brushing my fingers over the card on the ground.

     “I’m always alone…” I whispered.

     “Gambit fix that one for ya,” he said.

     I looked at him skeptically, brows furrowing slighlty.

     “People _always_ go away ‘ _Gambit’,_ ” I told him, standing up from my spot on the ground.

     I happened to find out that that was a big mistake. The moment I stood up, my world began to spin, attempting to give way. Gambit saw this and immediately sprung to my aid, hopping down off of the wall behind me, his arms springing forward and keeping me steady.

     “Maybe you should sit back down cheri,” he encouraged, guiding me back down to the ground, where he sat down with me.

     At that moment, my stomach growled. I looked down in embarrassment away from Gambit. He smiled at me though, pulling an apple out from no where, and a pocket knife out of his back pocket.

* * *

     We sat there for a while, not really doing much at all. I keep nibbling on slices of apple that Remy gave me, until he decided to go back inside, and sneak some sandwiches out. I laughed at the goofy look he had on his face upon returning triumphantly with the sandwiches.

     “Gambit?”

     “Oui, cheri?”

     “What…what exactly are your powers?” I asked hesitantly.

     He grinned at me when I asked him this, a spark of pride in his eyes.

     “Why don’ I show ya cheri?” he proposed.

     I nodded my head, wanting to see what he could do. I watched as he reached into his back pocket, pulling out a deck of cards. He held them out to me, spreading them out in one swift motion.

     “Pick a card cheri, any card at all,” he said.

     I picked one out around the middle. He seemed to smile when he caught a glimpse of it.

     “Now, pick one more card cheri,” he instructed.

     I didn’t know why he was having me pick another card, but I listened and went along with it. It was the black 2 of clubs that I picked next.

     “Now cheri, feast your eyes on d’is,” he said, taking the card and throwing it up into the air.

     It was glowing even before he let it go, then it exploded in the air like a firework. My eyes immediately went to his, staring at him with a slightly painful look.

     “What’s wrong cheri?” he asked in confusion.

     I just looked down at my hands, feeling them grow hot with anxiety as it spread to my fingers as well. They were glowing red and terribly close to the ground.

     “Careful there cheri, that’s dangerous,” he warned, grabbing hold of my hands.

     I tried to pull away in fear of hurting him, but he just held onto my hands firmly.

     “Don’ worry cheri, ya can’ hurt me with that,” he said, trying to reassure me.

     It didn’t work though until he took proper hold of my hands. The moment he did that, it’s like everything stopped, my power didn’t do a thing except get absorbed. I didn’t hurt him.

      _I didn’t…hurt him…_

     The moment he let go though and my fingertips touched the ground, there was a small explosion, sending me onto my back in surprise. I groaned as I laid there.

     “Cheri, cheri you alright?” he asked, a bit worried as he knelt over me.

     I just stared back up at him, not really sure what to do.

     “My head hurts…” I muttered so he could hear me.

     “Maybe it’d be better if we wen’ inside cheri?” he suggested, but I shook my head.

     “I don’t’ wanna go back in there…” I told him, sitting up painfully, my back groaning in protest.

     I wanted to stay away from everyone else right now, Gambit was currently my only exception at the moment. Especially, after all that he'd shown me. He then looked at me for a moment, before standing up and dusting himself off.

     “Gambit be right back cheri,” he said, quickly running off and inside the mansion.

     I sighed quietly, watching him leave. He probably wouldn’t come back…

     “Hey! Conners!” my eyes shot open, wide with fear at the voice.

     Slick.

     “I hear they dragged you back in pieces and that you finally decided to get your act together,” he said, taunting me with that sneer of his.

     “Leave me alone Slick,” I warned, scooting away from him, my back still groaning in pain.

     He just kept coming closer until he was standing in front of me, taking his foot and pushing against my arm harshly. I bit my lower lip, trying to hold in a cry of pain. He caught on though, pushing me onto my back. This time I let out a yowl in pain.

     “If I had to guess…I’d say you still don’t have control,” he said, growling at me a bit, a smirk plastered on his face though as he put pressure on my stomach with his foot.

     I cried out at the pressure of his foot crushing into my stomach, pressing my back into the ground. It hurt…BAD. I groaned when he was pulled off of me and thrown to the ground, my eyes traveling up to find Gambit standing there with an angry look on his face. He had a long coat hanging folded on his arm, and a bo staff in his other hand.

     “Stay off o’ cheri,” he demanded, pointing the tip of his staff at the boy.

     Slick just glared at him, getting up, and spitting at me. Now, _that_ pissed Remy off to no end. A moment later, he spun his staff around and knocked Slick hard in the gut with it, sending him to his knees.

     “Bastard,” he growled, glaring at Gambit.

     Gambit pulled a card out of his coat, charging it.

     “Don’ make me use d’is,” he warned, ready to throw it at him at any moment.

     The boy quickly got up and ran, not wanting to get hit again. I just lay there looking up at Gambit with pain stricken eyes. Gambit was reluctant in lowering his arm, taking back the charge, and placing the card back in his pocket. It was something that I knew I could never do.

     “You alright cheri?” he asked, kneeling down beside me, placing his coat and staff on the ground.

     “I hurt,” I whined, holding out my hand, and letting him pull me into a sitting position.

     I clutched my stomach, leaning forward a bit. Man did that hurt. I watched as he stood up for a moment, throwing his coat on, then holding out his hand again.

     “Come on cheri, Gambit’ll take ya somewhere nice,” he smiled.

     I looked at him for a moment, before taking his hand. I bit my lower lip when he pulled me up into his arms, allowing me to place my arm around his neck as he carried me, placing his staff on his back within a holster.

     “Hey, Remy, where are we going?”


	7. Development

**Combusting Hearts**

**Chapter 7**

**Development**

     I went bug eyed when we got into the garage. He was heading over to the motorcycles.

     “Uh, Remy?” I called, catching his attention.

     “Oui, cheri?”

     “Um…we’re not going to ride on one of those…are we?” I asked a bit shaken up as I looked at them.

     I really didn't want to be on one of those for a while. Especially, after the recent accident. Yes, it was different, but I wasn't about ready to test my luck with them for a second time so quick.

     “Why? You not like d’em much?” he asked as he rose a curious eyebrow at me.

     I shook my head no, not wanting to ride on one of them after what happened the other day. He seemed to think for a moment, before grinning and turning to the cars. His eyes spotted a nice RED car, that just so happened to belong to Scott.

     “Remy?” I asked warily.

     “Oui, cheri?” his eyes were glued to the shiny, well waxed vehicle.

     “You’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking, are you?”

     “An’ what would d’at be cheri?” he asked as he walked closer to the car, me still in his strong arms.

* * *

     “Gambit, slow down!” I yelled as he continued to drive at high speed down the curving road. “If you wreck this car, Scott will KILL you!” I informed him.

     He just gave me a smile and laughed as I clutched at my seat for dear life.

     “I t’inks he deserves it after what he did to ya earlier,” he told me, keeping his eyes on the road.

     “Earlier…you mean you saw that?” I asked quietly, a little bit sad, a little bit embarrassed.

     “Oui, cheri, Gambit see everyt’ing,” he admitted.

     I sighed quietly, though I was still surprised that he noticed or even cared enough to pay attention to it. Then, I realized that he came outside shortly after what Scott had done, which means that he came out…for me.

     “Don’ worry though cheri, I take care o’ ya,” he assured me, patting my leg lightly with his hand.

     This was kind of embarrassing and new for me; I really didn’t know what to do or how to react. Therefore, I just sat there in my seat, the seat belt keeping me in place as I looked out around the scenery. My hair was flipping all over the place as we drove, since there was no top on the car. I glanced over at Gambit to see his hair flying up and behind him as well. He was definitely having a good time right now.

     “Hey…Remy?” I looked over in his direction when I spoke.

     “Cheri?”

     “Oui, Remy?” I replied, smiling at him a bit.

     He did the same and then laughed.

     “Why you keep callin’ Remy? I Gambit too,” he asked as he smiled over at me.

     I just shrugged my shoulders.

     “I like Remy,” I said, smiling at him before gazing back out at the land.

     “You know cheri, you somet’ing else,” he laughed.

* * *

     I looked around once Gambit pulled into a parking spot. We were in the park a little ways from the school, but still far away enough that I wouldn’t have to deal with anyone.

     “Remy, why the park?” I asked curiously.

     “Cuz, is quiet here cheri. Ain’t that what you want?” he held a questionable look upon his face.

     I nodded hesitantly, not expecting this from him or anyone else for that matter. I didn’t wait for him to get out of the car, before getting out myself and walking away somewhere.

     “Hey, cheri, wait for Gambit. Wait for Remy!” he shouted, getting out of the car, and running after me. “Cheri, wait!” he called out to me.

     I sighed as I turned to look at him, waiting for him, and allowing him to catch up. He was panting a bit, placing his hands on his knees.

     “Man you’re fast cheri,” he breathed, looking up at me.

     “No I’m not…”

     “Cheri, look around you,” he said, gesturing with his arms and hands.

     I did so and noticed I was already a good ways into the park. I nearly fell down in shock.

     “W-what…what’s happening to me…” I whispered as my eyes started to water, a few tears spilling from my dark eyes.

     I fell to my knees and started crying. Gambit soon followed beside me, carefully placing an arm around my shoulders, and pulling me near.

     “Shh…it alright cheri. It be alright,” he tried, trying to comfort me as I cried.

     “Why…why can’t I…just be…n-normal,” I choked out, letting my head fall against him, tears spilling onto his silky shirt.

     He wrapped his other arm around me, holding me close, and stroking the back of my head. I could feel my hands tingling. I looked down at them, seeing the glowing red of my fingertips.

     “G-Gambit,” I choked out, looking down at my hands.

     His eyes followed, landing on them as well. He quickly grabbed my hands with his left one, holding them in his hand. I could feel my power going into him as we sat there. I sat there until it finally stopped, my power no longer brimming to the edge.

     “See cheri? Gambit take care o’ ya,” he said, gently letting go of my hands.

     “How…how do you do that?” I asked warily.

     He just looked at me, a faint smile pulling at his lips.

     “I be a lot more powerful d’an you t’ink cheri,” he said, placing his hand on my cheek.

     I felt my face heat up as I pulled away a bit. I wasn’t used to this. I was uncomfortable with this much physical contact. He seemed to notice this, and let his hand fall.

     “Come on, cheri, why don’ we go for a walk?” he proposed.

     I nodded my head, allowing him to help me stand up. He offered me his arm, but I shook my head no, so he raised his hands in defeat.

     “Alright, cheri, alright. I gets it, Gambit don’ want no trouble,” he said, chuckling as he placed his hands behind his head.

* * *

     We just walked around for a while, talking a little bit, but mainly walking. I asked him a question every now and then, he would answer, and then he would ask me something. When he asked me about my parents though, I turned away, not wanting to talk about it.

     “What wrong cheri?” his brows were furrowed with confusion once again.

     “I…don’t wanna talk about it,” I whispered, walking ahead a bit further.

     We had walked through the whole park, I could see the car in my line of sight. Wanting to get away from the conversation, I ran toward it, jumping into my seat.

     “Come on, cheri, Gambit don’ mean no harm in it,” he tried, leaning in on the car door on my side.

     I just ignored him, hiding my face in my arms.

     “I’m sorry cheri.”

     “Just…let’s get going Gambit,” I whispered, lifting my head up to glance at him.

     The moment he saw the look in my eyes, he nodded his head, and got in the car. He wasn’t going to stand there any longer with such a look on my face. A look of deep sadness and guilt.

     “You know cheri…”

     “Just drive Gambit…please?” I asked quietly.

     I could hear him sigh, before he started up the car, carefully pulling out of his spot. After a moment or so, I spoke again.

     “I’m sorry Remy…I just…” I didn’t really know what to tell him.

     “Is alright cheri, I understand, Gambit shouldn’ have asked,” he said slowly, glancing at me every now and then, still keeping his eyes on the road.

     “I’m sorry Remy,” I whispered.

     He just gave me a weak smile and patted my leg.

     “Don’ worry ‘bout apologizin’ cheri, is fine,” he reassured me.

     All I could do was nod my head, turning my gaze to the world around me. I noticed though, that we weren’t moving nearly as fast as earlier. He was trying to take his time in getting back. I sighed quietly in realizing this.

     “Remy,” I started, turning toward him, “if I tell you part of it…can we…get back quicker? I don’t feel well and I want to lie down,” I explained.

     He nodded his head.

     “Sure cheri, I t’inks Gambit can do that,” he said.

     “I can’t really say much right now Remy, but…I don’t…have parents anymore…” I whispered.

     “Why not cheri?” he asked carefully.

     “Because Remy…” I hesitated for a moment, trying to block the oncoming tears, “I’m the reason…they’re dead.

     After that, I wouldn’t say another word about it, and he knew this.

     “I sorry cheri…” he whispered, speeding up a bit more, “I didn’ know,” he said.

     That was the first time that he didn’t use his name when talking. I kind of found it amusing, but only slightly at the moment. I shook my head though.

     “It’s…not your fault Remy… Heck, you’re the first person I’ve ever told about any of this,” I explained.

     He was shocked upon hearing this. Hearing that he was the very first person to know about this.

     “You mean you never tol’ anyone ‘bout d’is before Remy?” he asked curiously.

     I shook my head, giving him the answer that he needed.

     “Well, Gambit be honored d’en cheri,” he exclaimed, a smile on his face as he sped up, quickly flying down the road.

     “Remy!” I screamed, holding onto the seat for dear life, even with my seat belt buckled.

     He just laughed and continued speeding down the road, a smile on his face.

* * *

     When we got back, I nearly puked. I also noticed Scott walking into the garage and went over to him, shoving him hard.

     “Never! And I mean never! Leave one of your cars where he can see it again!” I shouted, pointing to Gambit.

     Scott just raised an eye brow at me, glancing over a Gambit, and then his car. My eyes went wide as I covered my mouth and ran out of the garage, throwing up when I got to the grass.

     “Hey, what’s wrong cheri?” Gambit asked as he hopped out of Scott’s car.

     Scott glared at him, already having enough issues when Logan decides he wants to use his cars.

     “You hot wired my car, didn’t you?” Scott asked with a glare on his face as he approached Gambit.

     “Well, Gambit couldn’t find the keys, had no other choice,” he explained as he laughed.

     Scott’s hands balled up into fists as Gambit laughed.

     “And you let him do it too, didn’t you?” he turned to me, receiving a glare from me.

     “Okay, a girl is trying not to puke her guts out, and you’re already all over me. You know, Logan’s right, you are a dick,” I said, before hurling again.

     I groaned distastefully at the acidic taste in my mouth. Gambit laughed at how I insulted Scott.

     “And as far as you go Gambit, I think I’ll stick with Logan, before ever letting you drive me again,” I stated, whipping my mouth on my sleeve as I went inside.

     I felt so sick to my stomach right now. Even though riding with Logan on a motorcycle scared the crap out of me, I was definitely going to stick with him next time. Speaking of Logan, he was coming down the hall in front of me. As a result, I ran forward and hugged the gruff man, hugging him tightly. He seemed surprised, but hugged back nonetheless.

     “Logan, PLEASE, never let Remy drive?” I pleaded.

     He gave me a strange look.

     “What’d the Cajun do this time?” he asked.

     I groaned before answering him, the acidic taste still in my mouth.

     “Let’s just say I’ve already puked my guts up about 3 times already,” I told him, feeling sick just thinking about it.

     He growled upon hearing this, but I just grabbed his arm.

     “Just…come with me to the kitchen, please? I need something to get the taste out of my mouth…and…I don’t wanna be alone…” I whispered.

     This seemed to grab his attention. So, he nodded his head and threw his arm over my shoulders, walking down the hall with me.

     “Alright squirt, I think I can do that,” he said.

     “Oh yeah, you were right,” I told him.

     “About what?”

     “Scott’s a dick,” I stated. He just laughed heavily amused at this.


	8. Squabbling Children

**Combusting Hearts**

**Chapter 8**

**Squabbling Children**

     The next couple of days flew by quickly. During that time, I mainly spent most of my time with Logan and Kurt. Although, I _did_ get to see Logan and Remy go at it once, but it was only for a couple of minutes. It would have been interesting to watch though, but Scott of all people broke it up before they could do anything. Although, this time, was not one such time that Scott was going to break it up.

     At the moment, we were all outside, Kurt, Logan, Gambit, and I. We were in an open area out in the courtyards away from everyone else. Logan and Gambit stood there, staring each other down. Gambit had his long coat on, and his bo staff in his hand. Logan on the other hand, had his claws out ready to strike.

     “You ready to get your butt kicked Cajun?” Logan asked.

     “I don’ know, shouldn’ you be askin’ yourself d'at?” Gambit countered, laughing at him. Logan just growled in annoyance.

     “Alright bub, let’s have at it,” Logan said, running forward at Gambit.

     Gambit just leapt out of the way of Logan’s claws, using his bo staff to send himself flipping backward and out of the way.

     “Come on Wolverine, you can do better d’an d'at,” Gambit teased, pulling out one of his cards and throwing it at him.

     I watched as it exploded in Logan's face, sending him flying back a bit.

     “Logan!” I shouted, getting ready to run for him, but Kurt held me back with his tail.

     “Do not vorry fraulein, he vill be fine,” Kurt reassured me.

     Kurt was right though. Moments later, Logan was standing back up, cracking his neck. He looked over at me and winked, letting me know not to worry. I felt so embarrassed because I kept forgetting about his ability to heal. It was pretty much the one thing that kept him from dying.

     “Have ya had enough yet Wolverine?” Gambit asked after about 10 minutes of ‘playing’, only to be met with an angry fist in his gut.

     He doubled over in pain, gasping for air as he tried to speak, choking on his own spit.

     “Have ya had enough yet Cajun?” Logan asked as he laughed.

     Gambit didn’t like this much though. He quickly grabbed his bo staff and smacked Logan in the head with it in return. Logan fell back a bit, holding head for a moment, sitting on the ground. As a result of Remy’s choice of action, he didn’t have his bo staff for much longer, and it went sailing through the air in my direction. Seeing this, I got up and ran, catching it in my hands since I knew that Gambit would not want his beloved bo staff to be damaged.

     “Thanks cheri,” he called.

     I just nodded, giving him a small smile and went back over beside Kurt. Kurt just sat there, watching everything, and quietly flicking me with his tail. He continued doing this for a good 5 minutes before I finally spoke up.

     “Stop that,” I said, swatting at it.

     He smiled at me with his pointed teeth, grinning a bit. I shoved him, only to be caught by his tail.

     “Hey, let go Kurt!” I cried, laughing.

     Logan and Gambit watched this for a few minutes, finding it rather entertaining. It allowed them a short break. Although, Remy seemed to be the one in most need of it.

     “Logan!” Kurt called out, “Vould you like to help?” Kurt asked, looking down at me.

     My eyes went wide.

     “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO!” I yelled, knowing what he was planning.

     To my dismay, Logan looked over at me with a devilish smirk on his face.

     “Logan, don’t you DARE!” I shouted, watching him come closer as Kurt held my wrists with his tail.

     I pulled, and pulled, but it didn’t do any good.

     “R-Remy! Help!?” I cried as Logan got closer to me, nearly cornering me against Kurt.

     Before I knew it, Logan and Kurt were tickling me relentlessly.

     “S-stop!” I sputtered, squirming immensely.

     They didn’t stop though. They continued to tickle me, even when it was getting hard to breathe. When it got to that point, I reached my hand out toward Gambit, eyes pleading for help. It was a look that Gambit couldn’t miss, and so he ran over quickly, grabbing his bo staff, and hit them both in the back of the head making them release me.

     “Cheri’s gotta breathe,” he stated, getting them to stop.

     They stood there watching as I gasped for air, filling my lungs with its cooling touch. I was so happy to finally have a proper amount of air going down my throat. All I could do was pant as I lay there on the ground, my hands glowing a bit. Kurt took a step back upon seeing this, not wanting to get hurt. Gambit on the other hand, he took a step forward.

     “Vhat are you doing?” Kurt asked, trying to pull him away, but Gambit wouldn’t have any of that.

     “Let me go,” he demanded, pulling away from him.

     Logan and Kurt were shocked as they watched him do what I had seen him do a handful of times already. He absorbed my power into his as he took my hands. This was beginning to become a routine between the two of us it seemed. A sort of reprieve from the overwhelming power that seemed to loom inside.

     “What are you doing Cajun?” Logan growled, pulling him away from me.

     “Hey, get off,” Gambit told him, pulling away from him roughly. “All I do is help her,” he said, giving Logan a bit of a hard look.

     They watched as I pushed myself up into a sitting position, holding my head for a moment.

     “You alright cheri?” Gambit asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

     “I’m fine Remy, just a little headache,” I reassured him.

     Logan gave me a strange look when I used Gambit’s real name, so I explained.

     “I call him by his name, just like I do you and Kurt, Logan,” I said, looking at everyone.

     I saw the look that Gambit gave Logan, so I decided to stop things where they were.

     “Remy,” I warned, “Stop it,” I said.

     “Aw…cheri,” he pouted like a child.

     I nearly laughed if not for my headache.

     “Don’t cheri me,” I said, lifting my finger, “Behave,” I ordered.

     “Yeah, behave,” Logan said, trying to hide the grin on his face.

     Gambit turned on him, bringing his bo staff out.

     “Gambit, stop it!” I commanded, nearly faltering when I stood up, I fell against Gambit.

     Though startled at having me suddenly fall against him, he caught me and held me up.

     “You ain’t alright cheri,” Gambit said, catching me in my lie.

     I sighed quietly, admitting my defeat as I laid against his arms.

     “Look…I’ve been like this since the other day, okay? Can we just drop it?” I asked, trying to stand on my own, but to no avail.

     He had to catch me again before I could hit the ground, his bo staff in front of me like a bar, helping keep me up. It gave me something to hold onto as I leaned against him tiredly.

     “That’s it, Gambit takin’ yainside ta see Hank and the Professor,” he said, picking me up in one single fluid motion.

     I gave out a startled yelp when he did this, my arms going around his neck instinctively.

     “Don’ worry cheri, I won’ drop ya,” he reassured me, heading back to the mansion with the others in toe.

     “Remy, can you please put me down? This is embarrassing,” I whined, looking around as we went down the hall.

     “Sorry, no can do cheri,” he said, continuing to carry me in his arms as we went.

     I swear, I was so embarrassed as we walked passed students, I had to hide my face in the collar of his coat. I’ve never had to have anyone actually carry me before, and it was embarrassing, especially since Gambit was the one doing it. It was even worse though when we ran into Scott.

     “What’s this, she sick or something? Why is her face all red?” Scott asked, trying to butt his nose into things.

     “Outta d'e way Cyclops,” Gambit insisted, making to go around him.

     “You know, you guys should really learn to behave,” Scott said, “You’re setting a bad example for the other students.”

     Oh Lord have mercy, kill me now. I mean seriously, how retarded and rude can you get? To my utter amusement though, Logan flipped him the bird, before grabbing hold of him by his shirt and shoving him out of the way. We left Scott standing there dumb struck as we went.

     “Now, which one is it again?” Gambit asked mainly to himself, trying to find the elevator.

     “Over here numb skull,” Logan groaned as he opened the elevator, stepping aside to let Gambit enter.

     Gambit muttered a few words under his breath and I flicked him in the ear for it. I could hear Logan suppressing a laugh when he saw this. I ignored it though and rested my head against Gambit’s shoulder. Even though I don’t want to admit it, being in Remy’s arms is actually kind of comfortable, plus he’s warm. Unfortunately, like usual, I also have the worst luck ever.

     “Ah, Professor, we were just gonna go lookin’ for ya in a few minutes,” Remy said as he spied the Professor wheeling out of one of the rooms.

     He gave Gambit a curious look when he saw him holding me in his arms.

     “And what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked.

     “Well…” Gambit started as he looked down at me, “Don’ really know to be honest,” he said.

     “Let’s take a look then,” Charles said, moving down toward the medical room, everyone following behind him.

     When we got inside, Gambit placed me down on the table. I sat there for a moment, just simply holding my head.

     “Elaine, could you please lay down for me dear?” the Professor asked.

     I nodded my head, moving to lay down on the table. Once I was comfortable, he came behind me.

     “Now, I want you to try and relax, alright Elaine?”

     “Okay,” I whispered, closing my eyes.

     I tried my best to relax, though it was a bit hard with my headache, not to mention everyone else in the room watching me. I could feel him going through my mind, sifting through memories as he set there, hands hovering on either side of my head. At some point or another, the thought of my parents came to mind, causing my eyes to water, and my hand to ball up. I was so tempted to pull away, but I remained still. After a few more minutes, he finally pulled away.

     “I can only assume that in part, it’s a result of your powers developing and manifesting further. They are evolving as you improve your control over them. Also…” he paused, turning to look at Logan and Gambit, “your little charades don’t help matters,” he pointed out.

     I watched as Gambit shifted uncomfortably, his gaze landing on me for a moment, before traveling elsewhere.

     “My advice is that you lay down and rest. Although, I would like you to see Hank some time next week, so that he can have a once over, just to be safe,” Charles said.

     He then turned to Kurt.

     “Kurt, would you mind taking her to her room please? I need to have a talk with Logan and Gambit.”

     “Of course Professor.”

     And with that, we were off.


	9. Alternatives

**Combusting Hearts**

**Chapter 9**

**Alternatives**

_Images and shapes surrounded me in the dark, chasing me through the dark abyss. I was running again, but I couldn’t see what it was that I was running from. Everything was black as pitch, no light anywhere to guide my way in this hellish place. Although, through the blackness, I could hear the sound of streaming water._

_Having no other alternatives, I decided to follow the sound. Eventually, I came upon the small stream. It was bright, glowing a hue of brilliant blues. When I looked down at it, I could see my reflection shinning back at me, though it was a younger me. The one staring back at me was my 12 year old self. As I stared down at myself, I could see my once long brown hair falling over my once hazel eyes. Though, I was no longer that innocent little girl that I once was._

_Instead, I was a powerful, destructive young mutant woman. I was a girl without control._

_The sound of giggling whispered in my ears, the words “Mommy” and “Daddy” coming to my ears._

_"Daddy...?"_

* * *

     I shot up in my bed in a cold sweat, my breathing uneasy, and uneven. I needed to be around someone, even if it was currently like 1 o’clock in the morning. I didn’t know who, and I really didn’t care as long as it was someone. As I got up out of my bed, I stared at myself in the mirror, taking in my reflection. Red eyes, shoulder length dark hair and red streaks, all of this stared back at me. It was almost an eerie feeling to be honest, it was almost hard to recognize myself at times. So as I stood there staring at myself, I debated who to try and wake. Who could I possibly go to at this time of night? There was no way in heck that I was going to try running to Gambit right now, at least not this time, that was just out of the question. That left only Logan and Kurt, though for some reason, I was drawn to Logan at the moment. I didn’t know why though. I guess Kurt would have to wait til next time, then Gambit, if he was lucky.

     So popping my head out of the door, I looked down the hallway, seeing no one around. I sighed quietly as I closed my door behind me, slowly making my way to where I knew Logan’s room to be down the hall. Luckily, his room was only a few rooms down. I felt bad when I saw him laying there quietly, asleep from what I could tell. I thought about leaving and just forgetting about it, but the feeling in my chest wouldn’t let me. It tightened around my heart painfully, aching for help and reconciliation, even if nothing was done verbally I still needed that feeling.

     Not wanting to wake him though, I sat on the floor against the side of his bed, pulling my knees to my chest quietly. My mind continued to run rampant as I set there, not knowing what to do. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that I could hear the bed shifting, the sound of him putting weight on his arm, and then following after was his voice. I knew he was awake now, but I didn’t move from my spot.

     “What are you doing in here kid?” he asked, moving to sit up, the springs of the bed creaking a bit as he did so.

     Quietly, I peaked my head up a bit to stare at him, trying to get a hold of myself and think properly. I figured it would be best to just tell him the truth though.

     “I woke up…and can’t sleep,” I whispered, glancing over at him.

     He sat up a bit more, moving his feet over the side of the bed, and coming to sit down beside me on the floor with a grunt.

     “I’m sorry for waking you…” I said quietly.

     He just shook his head for a moment before speaking, rubbing at tthe back of his neck.

     “I couldn’t sleep anyway. Been laying there for a while before ya came in actually,” he explained, which made me feel slightly better.

     “Oh…”

     That was really all that I could think to say.

     “So, you needed someone to talk to, huh?” I nodded my head slowly to his question.

     “I _can_ talk to you right?” I asked, wanting to make sure.

     “Of course,” he said, gazing down at me.

     I sighed quietly and rested my head on top of my knees, looking out at nothing, but the darkness of the room. So many things were going through my head at the moment. All of it having started from that dream. The thought of my parents popped into my head and my brows furrowed for a moment. Was I still a good person, even after everything that I had done?

     “Logan?”

     “Yeah?”

     “Have you ever…done anything so bad…that it seems to follow you wherever you go?” I asked quietly, trying to keep my voice from cracking as I spoke.

     I watched him go silent for a moment, thinking about different things as he sat there with me. He seemed to be conflicted in a way.

     “What do you mean by bad?” he asked carefully, trying to ascertain what it was that I was asking him.

     I sighed, turning away from him, my eyes looking elsewhere.

     “Have you ever…hurt someone that you cared about…and then realized…that you couldn’t take it back?” I asked, looking down at my hands.

     I could feel the heat running through them as we sat there.

     “I’ve done a lot of things that I’m not proud of kid,” he explained, “I’ve even killed people,” he told me.

     That was my breaking point as realization hit me at an unbearable point.

     “So have I…” I whispered faintly, trying to keep a grip on my emotions, but it didn’t work very well.

     Logan thought back to the last time he found me crying, the pieces slowly falling into place. He gave me a sympathetic look, placing his arm around my small shoulders, and pulling me close to him.

     “Your parents?” he asked slowly, already knowing the answer before I even nodded my head.

     I could feel tears slowly building up as I thought about it. Thinking of the looks upon their faces before they died because of me. I could remember the shock and the fear before they died.

     “How long have you been holding this in?” he asked, looking down at me as I rested my head against his shoulder.

     “Since I was 12,” I whispered, closing my eyes. "At first, they labeled it as a freak accident, saying that the boiler exploded and caught the house on fire. No one realized that it was actually me until much later."

     Not really sure what to do, he turned to me, a question on his mind.

     “You wanna go see if there’s some ice cream downstairs?” he asked, a small smirk on his face.

     I stared at him for a moment, thinking about it, and for some reason I liked the idea.

     “Okay,” I said, nodding my head in agreement.

     It had been so long since I’ve had ice cream, I nearly forgot what it tasted like. The mere flavor of chocolate and vanilla ice cream was astronomical in my opinion. The way that it glided down my throat, cooling it, and soothing the onset soreness that had been coming on. It made me happy to say the least. That was a major feat for food to accomplish with me.

     Unfortunately, I soon found myself scrapping at the remains of the ice cream in my cup, pouting when it was all gone. Logan would have given me another scoop or two, if it weren’t for what time it was. But, I suppose that Logan knows best I guess. Besides, I didn’t want to end up with a stomach ache or anything like that.

     “Hey Logan?”

     “Yeah?” he asked, looking up from what was left of his Dr. Pepper ice cream float.

     He had his spoon sticking out of the side of his mouth, much like one of his normal cigars. I still don’t understand why he smoked those things though, even if he has the ability to heal, it’s still bad for your health. Plus, they smell. BAD! I mean, have you ever been on the receiving end of one of those things? The smoke from it is like toxic gas, putrid and vile in all forms of the word. The fumes itself could knock you out.

     “Is ice cream your answer for everything?” I asked his curiously, tilting my head to the side a bit for effect.

     “No,” he said.

     I snapped my fingers in disappointment.

     “Rats! I had really hoped that it was. That would have been awesome,” I explained, smiling a bit.

     He just laughed upon hearing this, a deep chuckle coming from his chest.

     “You know kid, you’re something else,” he said.

     “Yeah, I know,” I yawned, covering my mouth.

     Fatigue was starting to take over, but I wasn’t quite ready to try and go back to sleep yet. Upon seeing me yawn, he grabbed my cup and placed it in the sink with his own. After that, he grabbed me, and tossed me over his shoulder. I laughed as I grabbed at the back of his shirt, swinging back and forth slightly.

     “Time for bed kid,” he said, moving to leave the kitchen.

     “But I’m not tired yet,” I whined, causing him to stop and sigh.

     “Fine,” he said, walking into the other room and tossing me onto the couch.

     He watched as I bounced a few times, before the cushions finally held me still.

     “We’ll just turn the T.V. on and see how long you can stay awake then,” he said, smirking at me.

     I gave him a tired look when he did this, only imagining what he’d possibly turn on. When he turned on Cartoon Network, I nearly laughed.

     “I thought you kids liked this stuff,” he said with a slightly cocky tone.

     I laughed and shoved him as he went to sit down on the couch, lifting me up a bit by the back of my shirt to sit down. I poked his leg as he sat there, purposely trying to annoy him. He just smirked and propped his feet up on the wooden coffee table, throwing my head up a bit since it was laying on his leg. I was just too lazy to move, so, he was just going to have to deal with it.

     “So, I’m a pillow now, am I?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

     My response to his humorous question, was me turning and patting his leg a few times, pretending as though I were trying to fluff up a pillow. Once I was satisfied with my ‘fluffing’, I made myself comfortable, my eyes gazing up at him. We both laughed as a result of this.

     “You really are goofy kid,” he said, grabbing a hold of me and giving me a noogie.

     I squirmed, stifling a laugh as I pushed against him.

     “Logan!” I squealed, shoving him.

     He just laughed, before letting me go, allowing my head to fall back onto his strong leg.

     “You’re strange,” I yawned, turning a bit. “I still don’t get…how you can keep walking around like this…when so many things have…happened,” I spoke between yawns.

     He looked down at me, thinking about what I said. He thought for a moment before speaking.

     “You just have to keep movin’ forward kid, that’s all you can do,” he told me, letting his arms rest on the back of the couch.

     “But…it’s…hard,” I whispered, letting my eyes fall closed with another yawn.

     “Life is hard kid…you just have to stand up and live it.”

     I only heard part of what he said though as my mind wandered off. I never knew that Logan could be such a comfy pillow. As I laid there though, I could feel him moving around a bit, probably trying to get more comfortable. How he could get even remotely comfortable with me laying there like that was beyond me though, but he seemed to manage it somehow as he remained on the couch with me. I was surprised at how understanding he’s been. The feeling of having him around was a comforting thought to me, helping me relax a bit more. Logan was actually starting to feel like an older brother to me, and I liked that, since I had never had any siblings of my own. It was nice, feeling that I at least had someone that I could turn to, even in the middle of the night when everyone is supposed to be in bed, asleep and dreaming.


	10. Headache

**Combusting Hearts**

**Chapter 10**

**Headache**

     I woke up to the sound of quiet whispers and the feeling of someone poking me. I could still feel Logan beneath me as I laid there, turning over to try and rid myself of the whispers. They wouldn’t go away though and I only felt myself being poked further. Then, before I knew it, I felt something sharp poking my foot. This sent me off of the couch and onto the floor, banging my head against the coffee table painfully. The only thing that I heard was hysterical laughing echoing around my pounding head. That, and the sound of Logan’s growling.

     “I’m gonna give you to the count of 10 to get out of here,” he growled, the sound of his claws coming out met my ears.

     Within moments, the whispers and laughter disappeared, leaving a silent room behind.

     “You alright kid?” he asked, kneeling down in front of me.

     He placed a hand on top of my head, staring at me. I just groaned at the pressure, making him ease up a bit. My head was killing me and extremely sore now.

     “My head hurts…” I groaned, sitting up a bit with Logan’s help.

     He had me lean my head down toward him so that he could take a look at it, placing the slightest bit of pressure on it. I winced, biting my lower lip. He pulled away after that, not wanting to put me in any more pain or discomfort. He sat there for a minute or two, thinking about something, before he opened his mouth.

     “Why don’t you go get dressed, and then we’ll get out of here for a few hours?” he suggested, helping me up off of the floor.

     I groaned a bit once I was finally up on my feet. The feeling of dizziness meeting me head on as I tried to stand still, falling against Logan for a moment as I lost my balance.

     “Easy there kid,” he chuckled, grasping my shoulders in his large hands to keep me steady.

     I gave him a small smile before standing on my own, slowly walking out of the room, and upstairs to get dressed. I still couldn’t believe how well I had slept as I slipped a tight, black shirt over my head. Although, it wasn’t _really_ a shirt, but instead it was under-armor. They’re still as good as shirts though and they keep me warm too. After a few moments, I heard a knock on my door, startling me for a moment.

     “Come in,” I called, looking under my bed for my jacket.

     I found it in the far corner against the wall. I’m guessing it ended up slipping down the side of the bed and ended up there. So laying down on the floor, I scooted under it, trying to grab at it. My fingers barely brushed it, before I felt a hand on my lower leg. It scared the crap out of me, resulting in my hitting my head against the wood boards of the bed.

     “Dang it,” I muttered, nearly screaming as I was yanked out from under the bed by my ankle.

     I let out a groan when I saw who it was.

     “Damn it, Remy, don’t scare me like that,” I breathed, holding my head.

     I had an even worse headache now than I did before, the pain throbbing at the back of my head. He just sat on my bed with a cunning smile on his face.

     “What ya doin’ cheri?” he asked as he looked down at me, arms on his legs.

     I was now laying on my back, looking under my bed at my jacket.

     “Well, I _was_ trying to get my jacket before you came in here,” I told him, making to go back underneath of my bed, but he caught my foot with his staff this time.

     I groaned as I stared up at him from my spot on the floor.

     “Okay, I give. What do you want Remy?” I asked, glancing at my jacket every few seconds or so.

     “Finally. Gambit was wonderin’ if you’d come an’ join me for breakfast?” he proposed, smiling at me as he leaned down a bit, his arms resting on top of his knees now.

     “Sorry, Remy, not today,” I said, quickly sliding under my bed and going after my jacket.

     I was just about ready to grab a hold of it too, before he pulled me right back out, yet again. I sighed heavily as I looked up at him.

     “How come cheri?” he asked curiously.

     “Because Remy,” I started, quickly shooting underneath my bed, “I’m going somewhere with Logan this morning,” I explained, grabbing hold of the sleeve of my jacket.

     “Logan? What you doin’ with ol’ Logan?”

     “I…don’t…know,” I said in between turning, trying to get back out. “Okay, can you help me get back out?” I asked.

     He didn’t say a word as he got up, starting to walk away. I groaned as I caught sight of this, quickly throwing out my foot, and hooking it around his ankle. I gave a sharp tug, causing him to trip and fall on the floor.

     “I _asked_ for you to help me out of here Remy, not walk away,” I glared in annoyance, staring as he grinned nervously at me. “Remy…” I warned, sending him a look from beneath the bed.

     “Sorry cheri,” he said, before quickly scurrying out of the room.

     “Remy, get your butt back in here!” I shouted.

     He never came back though, leaving me stuck under the bed. So, I did the only other thing that I could think of.

     “Logan!” I screamed, hoping that he would hear me.

     A minute later, I heard the sound of footsteps coming into my room. I could faintly see boots standing there, before they came closer to the bed.

     “What’s going on kid?” Logan asked, kneeling down beside the bed, and lifting the sheet up so that he could see better.

     He looked under the bed at me, giving me a questionable look.

     “I’m kind of stuck. Mind helping me out?” I asked, giving him a pleading look.

     He just laughed, before reaching his arm under the bed, and holding his hand out for me to take. I grabbed a hold of it, letting him pull me out in one swift movement, my jacket clutched in my other hand.

     “Now, mind telling me why you were shouting for Gumbo?” he raised a brow at me.

     My eyes widened a bit as I shot up off of the floor, running out of my room and down the hall.

     “Gambit!” I shouted angrily, running down the stairs.

* * *

     Logan just shook his head, before walking out of Elaine's room, and closing the door behind him. He then went a couple rooms over, pushing the door in. He rose an eyebrow at the man standing in the corner.

     “Hey Gumbo, either you get out here, or I’ll drag your ass out,” Logan threatened, pointing to the door.

     “Come on Wolverine, give Gambit a break?” he asked, scratching the back of his head nervously

     Seconds later, he was sent flying out of his room, and into the hallway with a thud.

     “Damn Logan, ya didn’ have ta throw me so hard,” Gambit complained, standing up and rubbing his back.

     Logan just smirked at him, looking behind Gambit, and down the hall as Elaine came back around the corner.

     "Incoming," he chuckled, a smirk on his scruffy face.

* * *

 

     “Gambit!” I yelled, running forward until I was standing right in front of him.

     I glared at him as he stood there, looking down at me nervously. I just reached up and grabbed him by the ear, pulling him down closer to my level until we were face to face with one another.

     “Next time, when I ask you to help me out, do it instead of running away,” I scolded him, before pushing him away, causing him to land on his butt.

     Logan laughed as he watched this, coming up behind me, and resting his arm on my shoulder.

     “And I thought that you were a ladies man?” he chuckled.

     I sighed in annoyance.

     “Logan, can we please just get going?” I asked, looking up at him. “I’m dressed now and I have my jacket, so can we _please_ go now?” I whined, wanting to get away from here.

     Logan just chuckled as he led me down the hallway and downstairs.

* * *

     Once again, I found myself in the garage, heading towards a certain motorcycle.

     “Okay, Logan, just promise me no crashing this time?” I begged, looking at the dreaded death machine.

     “As long as you promise to hold on tight, I think we’ll be good,” he said, throwing his leg over it and handing me a helmet.

      I strapped the thing on, quickly shrugging on my jacket, before getting on behind him. I then wrapped my arms around his waist as he started it up, lifting my feet off of the ground as I buried my face into the back of his jacket.

     “Ready kid?”

     I nodded my head as I held onto him, nearly yelping when he sped out of the garage at high speed. I closed my eyes tightly, trying not to look around at anything. I could barely hear him laughing over the roar of the engine.

     “Where are we going?” I yelled over the engine.

     “Waffle House,” he said.

     I nearly laughed when he said this. Seeming to hear this though, he sped up a bit, causing me to tighten my grip on his waist. I could feel him laughing, the vibrations coming off of his body as I pressed close against his back. To be honest, it felt kind of nice. It was calming and put me at ease as it normally did. As we sat there together, I relaxed a bit more, loosening my grip a bit. I let my finger splay out across his stomach, feeling the smoothness of the leather that was his jacket, though it was slightly rough from age.

     “Hey Logan?!”

     “Yeah?”

     “Where did you get this jacket?” I asked over the engine of the motorcycle.

     I could feel him shift a bit before he decided to answer me.

     “I don’t remember,” he told me.

     I caught the faint sadness in his voice as he told me this. So, deciding to give him a break, I didn’t push on the matter and just shut up for the remainder of the ride.

* * *

 

     I was happy as we came to pull up into Waffle House’s parking lot. I only let go when he turned off the engine, unwrapping my arms from his torso, and climbing off the motorcycle. My head was practically swimming as I took the helmet off, taking in a deep breath of fresh air.

     “Now, that wasn’t so bad was it?” he asked, biting back a smile.

     I just gave him a playful glare and shoved him, running inside of the establishment. He just followed me inside, throwing his arm around my shoulders, and pulling me close to him.

     “Don’t think that you’re going to get off that easy kid. I won’t make a scene in here, but once we’re done, your ass is mine,” he whispered in my ear.

     I just groaned, letting him pull me over to a booth. I sat down across from him, yawning as I stretched my arms out a bit.

     “Hey, wake up,” he said, shooting the paper wrapping of a straw at my face.

     I laughed, swatting at his hand. We watched as a waitress finally came up to us, smiling, and standing a bit closer to Logan than she should have probably been standing.

     “Hello, my name’s Cindy, how may I help you handsome?” she asked all too sweetly to Logan.

     I watched as he shifted a bit, before giving her his order.

     “I’ll have three eggs over easy, sausage _and_ bacon, two hash browns, toast, and two waffles,” he said.

     “And to drink sir?” she asked, batting her eyelashes.

     “Coffee, black,” he answered.

     Right after that, she went to walk away without even asking me what I wanted.

     “Excuse me,” I coughed loudly, getting her attention.

     “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there,” she said, not meaning a word of it.

     “I’d like water to drink. For food, I’d like two eggs over easy like my _father_ , bacon, and raisin cinnamon swirl toast. I’ll just steal some of his waffle,” I said, pointing to Logan. “Is that okay, _Dad_?” I asked, smiling at him sweetly.

     He just grinned at me.

     “Of course _honey_ ,” he said, patting my hand gently.

     I had to try my hardest not to laugh as we sat there. Only when she left did we laugh quietly.

     “Hey, _honey_ , why don’t you come over here and sit by _Daddy_ for a while?” he suggested.

     “Okay, _Dad_ ,” I said, grinning as I got up from my seat across from him and sat down on the other side next to him.

     As I sat there, he placed his arm over my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. I looked up at him curiously, but he just smiled. I opened my mouth to ask something, but I stopped as the girl came back with our drinks. I’ll just ask him later.

     I thought about things for a moment, grinning as a thought came to mind. I tore the end of the wrapper on my straw, discretely aiming it at Logan, before letting it fly into his face.

     “Pay back,” I laughed, quickly being met with his knuckles rubbing harshly against the top of my skull.

     I laughed as I tried to pull away, but to no avail. He was just too strong.

     “Have you had enough yet kid?” he chuckled.

     “Y-yes!” I said, trying to pull away.

     I nearly fell out of the booth when he finally let go of me. There was a smile on his face as he ruffled my hair, making it go in every which way direction. I tried to straighten my hair as the waitress came back over with our food, setting it down in front of us. I watched as she slid Logan’s gently in front of him, and dropping _mine_ in front of me. I wanted to say something, but Logan stopped me by ruffling my hair.

     “Just eat kid,” he said, stuffing a piece of waffle in his mouth.

     After that, I turned to my food, my eyes glancing over it all. The bacon was a bit soft, just how I liked it. I liked it even better when it was in my mouth. I closed my eyes, savoring the taste as I chewed. I loved bacon. Next, I moved onto the toast, spreading apple butter over it. It smelled so good as I brought it up near my nose, inhaling the wonderful scent, before placing it in my mouth. The piece was devoured in only a few bites.

     “Enjoying yourself kid?” Logan asked.

     I nodded my head, before taking my fork and snagging a nice sized piece of his waffle, stuffing it in my mouth happily. He laughed as I turned my head to look at him, my mouth closed and full of food. I just smiled the best I could, making myself look like a goof ball.


	11. Hog Tied on Sunday

**Combusting Hearts**

**Chapter 11**

**Hog Tied on Sunday**

     The next day was Sunday, a day when most religious people would be in church. It’s a day that for years, has held no place in my heart. In fact, it was a dull reminder of a normal life long forgotten. Though apparently, not forgotten enough. That’s right, my thoughts still trailed back to it. My heart pounded in my chest, reminding me of those years with my family, when we would go to church together. I had always believed in God, always loved God, always prayed for his help and guidance. I don’t know what went wrong though. I suppose it was my guilt that pushed him out of my thoughts after my parents death. I felt as though he would never accept me again, no matter what I did.

     As I walked the halls, I closed my eyes, thinking of how great my sin of living was. I had killed my parents. Two innocent people died by my hands and I couldn’t take it back, no matter how hard I tried. I would never be forgiven and would inevitably be sent to the pits of hell for all eternity.

     Those thoughts were put aside for barely a moment as I stopped in front of a door. I could hear muttering inside, almost like chanting. I also noticed that it was Kurt’s room that I was standing in front of.

     “Kurt…” I whispered, before carefully opening the door.

     I looked inside, seeing him perched on the edge of his bed, muttering to himself. He had what looked like a twisted cross hanging from his fingers on a chain. Rosary beads perhaps.

     “Kurt…?” I called quietly, making him look up from what he was doing.

     “E-Elaine,” he stammered, surprised to see me here.

     “What are you doing?” I asked quietly, staring at him as he leapt off of his bed and onto the floor.

     “I vaz praying,” he told me, holding up the metal cross that hung from his hand.

     I stared at it for a moment, thoughts running through my head. I had to avert my eyes for a moment, glancing away from him, and what was currently dangling from his hand.

     “Why…why do you do that?” I asked, slowly bringing my eyes to look at him again.

     “You mean pray?” he asked, a look of confusion forming on his face.

     I nodded my head.

     “Vell…I pray for forgivnezz,” he said, “I pray to be clozer to Gott,” he explained.

     I just stared at him, my brows furrowing together.

     “But…but how can you believe in him…how can you pray to him when he’s left you like this!?” I exclaimed, wanting to know how someone like Kurt could bother asking for forgiveness, when all he’s gotten is a life of pain and fear.

     “Becauze fraulein, he iz merciful. Gott iz great, and he givez forgivenezz to zoze who azk for it,” he told me.

     I just turned my head away from him, not believing it. I could never be forgiven, so why even ask for forgiveness if it won’t do me any good.

     “You do not believe?” he asked me.

     “I…I used too, but not anymore,” I explained, turning to a wall, and resting my face against it.

     “Zen you know zat he iz forgiving,” he said, coming to stand by my side.

     I shook my head no, trying not to cry.

     “Not when you’ve killed people Kurt!” I cried, not realizing that I had just blurted that out.

     “Killed people?” he questioned, his brows knitting together as he stared at me with his yellow eyes.

     I nodded my head carefully.

     “A dangerous sin among others…one that cannot be forgiven…and I don’t expect it to be…” I told him.

     I then turned around to look at him, my eyes connecting with his.

     “I’ll burn in hell Kurt…so why should I pray? If I were normal, then there wouldn’t be any problems at all,” I explained.

     This caused him to look at me with a certain sadness as realization hit him.

     “Ziz vaz a rezult of your powerz?” he asked.

     I nodded my head, answering without any spoken words.

     “Elaine…” he whispered, walking to stand before me as he wrapped his arms around me in an embrace.

     “Gott forgivez all zinz…he lovez uz all Elaine. You juzt have to believe in him and he shall guide you to zhe heavenz above. Zere iz a reazon for everyzing Elaine. It vaz not your fault,” he whispered into my ear softly.

     I just stood there as tears fell, trying to pull away, but Kurt wouldn’t let me go. He knew better than to let me go at this moment in time. In fact, if he did let go, then I’d probably end up doing something stupid.

     “N-no! I’m a sinner! It was my fault!” I cried, trying harder to pull away from him, but it did little good for me at all.

     “Elaine, once you believe in Gott, you never truly ztop believing,” he said.

     I just backed against the wall, sliding down it, crying into my arms.

     “Pleaze Elaine, juzt listen?” he pleaded, kneeling before me, his strange hands on my shoulders. “If you von’t pray, zin I vill do it for you. Ja?” he explained, taking his cross from his pants, and placing his hands on the sides of my face.

     His cross dangled down, brushing my cheek as tears fell mercilessly down my face. He didn’t seem to mind as they soaked into his skin, a few rolling down his hand, and traveling down the blue plain of his arm. His forehead was placed against mine.

     With each tear I cried, my soul grew tired, crying out for redemption. I still believed in God, but I myself was too scared and ashamed to ask for forgiveness after everything that I had done. Now, Kurt was doing it for me, praying for me so that I didn’t have to. He prayed for me to put my restless and longing soul at ease, to free me from my self-imprisonment. All that I could do was nod weakly. Such great power in words of prayer, those spoken aloud, they were more powerful than any. They were words being spoken for me.

     “Merciful Gott, forgive zeze zinz az you have forgiven mein. Forgive and let her be free from zis zorrow zhe holdz. Pleaze, Lord in heaven, Gott our zavior, zave her from zis zuffering…” he whispered quietly with his head down and his eyes closed. “Forgive zy Lord in heaven. For your vill zhall be done on earth az it iz in heaven,” he whispered, and once again, more tears fell from my eyes.

     His words of prayer were so soothing to me, even though they seemed so foreign to my ears. They brought back old memories that I had kept locked far away in my shaky mind. Though as everyone knows, not all memories can be so easily forgotten and left in darkness to rot away. No, they came back out every now and then just to spite you. Right now, was one such time for me.

* * *

 

_“Come here baby. Hush now, please don’t cry,” my mother said softly, brushing away the tears from my eyes._

_“I did a bad thing Mommy,” I cried._

_“What did you do sweetie? Tell Mommy and I’ll make it all better,” she promised._

_“I-I lied,” I exclaimed tearfully._

_Once again, she whipped away my sorrowful tears, kissing my forehead gently._

_“Don’t worry baby, all is forgiven,” she assured me._

_“But…we’re not supposed to lie…it’s against the rules,” I cried._

_My mother sighed, her eyes tracing over every part of my tiny face. My face was filled with such anguish._

_“Yes, I know sweetie, but he always forgives us,” she said, causing me to look at her. “God, forgives all sins as long as we believe. We must believe in him Elaine. Believe and embrace him, cherish him and love him, hold him always in our hearts,” she said, “He loves us always.”_

* * *

 

     Tears fell rapidly from my eyes.

     “In your loving and holy name, I pray, amen,” he whispered.

     “Amen…” I choked faintly, catching him by surprise, but causing him to smile.

     After that, I let my arms fly forward, hugging him and crying.

     “It’z alright Elaine, it iz alright,” he shushed, holding me in his arms.

     He gently stroked my hair as we sat there, cooing faint words into my ear. They were gentle words of calming, prayers, and psalms from the Bible. The Bible, no doubt a book he had memorized and read often. He could probably speak every word verbatim without the slightest bit of hesitation.

     “Huzh now Elaine…pleaze do not cry,” he whispered softly, his accent never wavering.

     Once again as always, this wore my body out, exhausting all of my energy. I had gotten so wound up, that now, I was completely tired out. I just wanted to go back to sleep and possibly wish that this never happened. Then again, it did happen, whether I liked it or not. Regardless, the crying would not stop. In fact, I couldn’t stop crying even if I wanted to right now.

     “Huzh Elaine. It iz alright, ze Lord iz vith you az am I,” he whispered.

     I shook my head quietly, weakly, trying to brush away my tears. I had no clue as to why this always tired me out so much. Then again, so much energy was used and wasted on account of crying. So I guess that is why I was so tired. Then again, I was pretty much tired of everything to be honest. So, without really thinking about anything else, I just let myself fall against him. My tired exhaustion slowly taking over me and leaving me alone with him in this darkness.

     I could hear him sigh quietly as he wrapped his arms around me to pick me up. He just held me in his arms as he walked toward his door, his tail flicking behind him as he looked down at me.

     Trying to suppress my emotions didn’t help me much either, it just wasted even more energy that I obviously didn’t have in me.

     “Hey! What’s goin’ on here?” Gambit asked as he stepped out of his room, his eyes landing on me and Kurt.

     “Nozing,” Kurt assured him, walking toward my room.

     That answer apparently wasn’t good enough for him, so he followed Kurt into my room.

     “Vhy muzt you follow?” Kurt asked, glancing at Gambit as he laid me down on my bed.

     “Because, Gambit wanna know what wrong wi’d cheri,” he said as he moved closer to look at me. “Why she been cryin’?” he asked with a slight accusatory tone in his voice, upon seeing the wetness on my face.

     Kurt turned away from him for a moment, before deciding to answer.

     “It iz not my place to zay. It iz between her and Gott now,” he said.

     Gambit glared at him as he said that.

     “Don’ give me d’at crap,” he spat, obviously annoyed.

     Kurt was taken back by this, startled at what Gambit had said. Before Gambit could say anything else, I decided to speak up.

     “Enough Remy…” I groaned, turning over a bit and surprising both of them. “Don’t make me…get…Logan in here,” I said tiredly.

     It was obvious in the sound of my voice that I was completely exhausted and they both noticed it. I gave Kurt a look that basically said, “ _Go get Logan_ ” and with that, he left. Though, he left Gambit to pester me with questions.

     “Why were ya cryin’ cheri?” he asked, sitting down on the edge of my bed.

     I just turned over, facing away from him as I closed my eyes, trying to tune him out. That didn’t seem to work though as he turned me back over to face him.

     “Come on, cheri, tell Remy?” he pleaded, but I gave him no answer.

     “It’s not something that I want to talk about Remy,” I muttered, listening quietly to the oncoming footsteps that were now heading down the hall in my direction.

     “Why won’ you tell Remy?” he questioned, still trying to pump me for answers.

     I let out a sigh of relief as Logan came into the room and grabbed him by the back of his coat, tossing him out of the room, and closing the door on him. Though, not before saying something along the line of, “Stay out of here Gumbo.”

     “Logan…” I whispered tiredly, a small smile on my face.

     He just gave me a faint chuckle as he pulled the desk chair up in front of my bed.

     “What’s got you so bent out of shape before 8 in the evening?” he asked.

     I went to open my mouth, but he held a finger up. He then got up and went to the door, opening it, and grabbing Gambit roughly by his coat. I could hear the sound of his yelp as he was tossed into his room. I wouldn’t doubt if Logan doesn’t end up tying him up and hog tying him. Logan then came back 5 minutes later with a satisfied grin on his face.

     “Well, I think that takes care of that,” he said, sitting back down in front of me.

     “Please tell me…that you didn’t just do…what I think you did?” I asked through half lidded eyes.

     He just grinned at me.

     “Lovely…” I muttered, closing my eyes tiredly.

     When Logan didn’t hear anything else from me after a good 10 minutes, he left, deciding that I was finally asleep.

* * *

     Unfortunately, I wound up waking up at around midnight, unable to go back to sleep. So, against my better judgment, I decided to get up out of bed. A thought crossed my mind as I left my room, quietly heading toward Gambit’s. I had a feeling that he wasn’t asleep and likely still tied up. And what do you know, upon entering his room, I found that I was right.

     I couldn’t help but laugh as I stood there staring at him. He just sat in the corner of his room on his stomach tied up, staring at me with tired pleading eyes.

     “You know…” I yawned, “I have half a mind to just leave you like this and attempt to go back to sleep,” I said, rubbing my eyes a bit.

     “Come on cheri, I’m beggin’ ya. Help ol’ Gambit outta d’is?” he asked, moving around a bit the best that he could.

     I sighed as I came closer, falling to my knees in front of him. I then went to work at trying to untie him, but it did little good, only resulting in making my hands sore.

     “Remy, where’s that knife of yours?” I asked, yawning again.

     He tried to turn a bit as he thought about it.

     “Is in me back pocket cheri,” he announced.

     My whole face went red when he said this. Just the mere idea of me touching his _butt_ was enough to send me over the edge. So, swallowing heavily, I reached into his right back pocket. I came back empty handed and still embarrassed.

     “In d’e o’der pocket cheri,” he said, biting back a laugh.

     I smacked his arm for that.

     "You couldn't have told me which one it was to start with?" I asked.

     I sighed, before reaching into his left back pocket, coming back out with his pocketknife in hand. I swear, the whole time, I could feel my face heat up.

     “Ya got it cheri?” he asked.

     “Y-yeah…I’ve got it Remy,” I told him, flipping it open, and working on cutting him loose.

     It took me a few minutes because Logan had tied him so tight, but I eventually cut through it. He was so happy when he was finally free, rubbing his wrists painfully, along with cracking his stiff neck and back.

     “Feel better now?” I asked, yawning as I rested against the wall, closing my eyes.

     I think sleep was trying to catch up to me again, telling me that I needed to go back to sleep again.

     “Much betta cheri, much,” he said, grinning at me.

     I just sat there with my eyes closed and his pocketknife in my hand. My mind kept trying to go back into dream world as I sat there. Luckily, it was Remy that was alone in the room with me instead of a few possible other guys in this school. I can only imagine what they would do while I slept. Luckily, Remy was a gentleman and had manners for the most part. Although, it wouldn’t surprise me if he didn’t let his mind wander a bit every now and then like most guys, but I still liked him well enough.

     “You’re fallin’ asleep d'ere cheri,” Gambit said, stating the obvious.

     I could only half way hear him though as I sat there, slipping in and out of consciousness. I could feel the gears in my head turning as images made their way into my mind. They were all of various colors, with nothing in particular standing out. All that it really was at the moment was a bunch of swirling colors that continued to mesh together in my head.

     “Cheri,” Gambit’s voice pulled me back to my senses for a moment, “You’re fallin’ darlin’,” he said.

     Even though he said this, it still didn’t really register with me that well.

     “You know cheri, if Wolverine find you in here, Gambit gonna be in big trouble,” he said, listening carefully for any noise outside.

     I didn’t really move or say anything as he sat there in front of me, staring at me. I opened my eyes for a brief moment, my eyes slowly fixing on his face. He gave me a small smile as he came closer, wrapping his arm around my back. I looked at him tiredly, a faint spark of curiosity in my eyes. He just placed his other arm under my legs, lifting me off of the floor as he stood up. He made sure to check the hallway first, before stepping outside. Once he was satisfied, he quickly snuck over to my room and put me in my bed. He stood there for a few moments, just staring down at me as he brushed a bit of hair out of my face, placing it behind my ear.

     “You really are a beauty cheri,” he whispered, caressing my cheek for just a moment, before turning toward the door. “Bonne nuit, ma petite cheri,” he said, closing the door behind him.

     The moment that he left though, I could hear his voice distinctively saying, “Merde!” I could tell that he was trying to stay on the quiet side when he said it, but he was obviously irritated and displeased. Though, I think I heard Logan’s voice too, so that would likely explain things.


	12. Shopping

**Combusting Hearts**

**Chapter 12**

**Shopping**

     Weeks went by and the weather outside grew ever colder. It was about the second week of December now, and Christmas was just around the corner. The Professor had already relieved the students of class till the new year, and some students left for home, while others stayed behind at the school. Either they didn’t have anywhere to go (like me), weren’t welcome back home (like me) or they just didn’t want to leave (like me). It didn’t matter to me though, I just wanted to be left alone.

     Most people didn’t go outside right now given how cold it was, but I’m one of the weird one’s that just doesn’t really care at the moment. I just wanted some time to myself as I thought about things. It was going to be different this year. With a new home, new friends, new surroundings. This would be my first Christmas with people that actually cared about me since my parents died. This all felt so strange to me, and at times, it still kind of scared me. It made me smile though at the prospect of actually receiving Christmas presents for once. I was kind of anxious to see what I would get.

     When I brought the issue of Christmas shopping up with the Professor, he was actually very nice about it and even gave me some money. He had told me that the money was mine anyway, the money that a few of my previous caregivers had forgotten was supposed to be used for my well-being. He did suggest that I take Gambit with me though, so that I wouldn’t be by myself. I didn’t really mind so much, since he was good company most of the time.

* * *

 

     I felt so out of place when we were at the mall, just walking around and staring into different shop windows. Seeing as my clothes were starting to become a bit too worn, I bought a couple shirts and another pair of pants. I also bought a few pairs of socks, especially since I had worn holes in all of my other ones.

     When we walked by a game shop, I made Gambit wait outside, taking this time to myself.

     I went in, looking around at the shelves. I then found one section that had playing cards and grinned. I went and looked through the different assortments of playing cards, picking a few different decks. I think I had like 10 decks in my hands as I went up to the front desk. I was curious though when my eyes caught a set of cards inside the glass case. A few of the cards had been pulled out of the box so that they were visible to costumers. Even though they looked a bit aged, they were elegant and beautiful.

     “Excuse me Sir, could I see those cards for a moment?” I asked, pointing at the ones that I wanted to look at.

     “Certainly, Miss,” he said, nodding and pulling them out from the case for me.

     Once he sat them in front of me, I drew the remaining cards from the little box, looking over them. I made sure to count them, wanting to be certain that they were all there. Despite their age, they were in rather good condition. The cards themselves were smooth against my fingertips, the corners well rounded. They were perfect. I was about ready to say something when I heard Gambit.

     “You about done in d’ere cheri?” he asked, starting to walk in.

     I quickly made my way over to him, pushing him out of the shop.

     “I’ll be done in a minute, just stay out here,” I said, quickly walking back in.

     I sighed as I stood before the man, running my fingers through my hair.

     “How much are they?” I asked, looking down at the cards.

     “20 dollars,” he said.

     I sighed, debating for a moment on whether they were worth it. I bit my bottom lip as I glanced back at the front of the store, seeing Gambit sitting on one of the benches with his eyes closed.

     “I’m guessing these aren’t for you?” he asked, seeming to catch on.

     I nodded my head in response.

     “My friend,” I gestured to Gambit sitting outside, “has a thing for cards,” I told him.

     “Ah, I see. Hm…how about I let you have them for $15?” he proposed.

     I smiled graciously.

     “I think I can work with that,” I said, standing there as he rang everything up.

     Gambit was happy when I was finally done, walking back out of the shop. He jumped right to his feet, coming to stand in front of me.

     “Where to next cheri?” he asked.

     “I’m not really sure. I guess we can just walk around a bit more and see if we find anything,” I said, moving forward.

     I swear, I really should have thought things over before coming here. Maybe then, I’d actually know what to get. I mean, I already had Gambit out of the way, but there was still Logan, Kurt, Hank, the Professor, Ororo, and Scott. Although, I kind of already knew what I was going to get Scott, wax for his car(s). Now that I think about it, a book would probably work for Hank.

     “Hey, Remy, let’s find the bookstore,” I said, switching the bags to my other hand.

     “Alright cheri, but…” he came up beside me, quickly snatching the bags from my hand, “I’ll carry these,” he said.

     I sighed for a moment, trying to grab them back, but he wouldn’t let me.

     “Ah, ah, ah cheri. You shouldn’ strain your delicate hands,” he chuckled, lifting the bags above his head so that I couldn’t reach them.

     I tried jumping for them, but I’m too short to reach them with those long arms of his. So, I decided to go with plan B, grabbing hold of his ear. He let out a yowl in pain as I pulled him down to my level.

     “Come on, cheri, be nice ta Remy?” he pleaded, trying not to move his head too much.

     Ignoring his plea, I got up close to his face, looking him in the eyes. He kept silent, waiting for me to speak.

     “You even try to look through my stuff and you’re a dead man,” I warned, letting go of his ear.

     He stood there rubbing his ear for a moment, a skeptical look on his face.

     “I mean it Remy,” I said, pressing my earlier comment.

     “Alright, alright, Gambit won’ look,” he agreed.

     “Thank you,” I muttered, walking forward.

     Gambit just came up beside me, throwing an arm around my shoulders, and pulling me close to him as we walked. I could feel my face heat up a bit as he did this, trying to hide my embarrassment.

* * *

     Gambit stood there for a moment, rubbing his ear when Elaine finally decided to let go. He didn’t know why she was so uptight about not wanting him to see the contents of the bags, but he agreed not to look inside them. He didn’t want his ear pulled again.

     He watched as she started to walk off ahead of him, her hands hanging loosely at her sides. He’d known her for nearly three months now, and he still didn’t understand her at times. Then again, she was usually fairly quiet when it came to people, and really didn’t talk to anyone. In fact, the only ones that she ever talked to, were the Professor, Logan, Kurt, and himself. Occasionally, she’d talk to some of the other teachers and students, but it was rare. He had noticed though, that she seemed to favor Logan at times, and he wondered why. He admitted to himself that he was a little bit jealous at this, wanting to spend more time with her. After all, that was the original reason for him coming to New York in the first place. He still had to remind himself though, that she was still scared, and still trying to get used to having a semi-normal life.

     He sighed for a moment, coming to walk beside her before placing his arm around her shoulders. He could faintly feel her stiffen as he pulled her against him. She seemed embarrassed from this action.

     He grinned for a moment, before speaking.

     “Why don’ we get somet’in ta eat cheri?” he suggested, glancing down at her.

     “Will you let go of me?” she inquired, raising an eyebrow at him.

     “I don’ t’ink so cheri,” he said, grinning at her.

     She groaned in what he could only presume to be annoyance.

     “Come on, cheri. Ya gotta be hungry,” he pushed.

     “Remy…” she started warily, “I just want to get done shopping, okay? My feet are killing me…” she muttered.

     He looked down at her for a moment, before nodding his head, leading her toward one of the benches.

     “D’en sit down, cheri,” he said, pushing her gently onto the bench.

* * *

     I just stared at him as he pushed me to sit on the bench, watching warily as he knelt down, undoing my shoes. I could feel a thin blush slowly creeping onto my cheeks as he did this.

     “R-Remy…w-what are you doing?” I asked carefully, watching as he pulled my worn socks off of my feet.

     “Don’ worry cheri, I just helpin’,” he reassured me.

     My fingers curled when he started rubbing and massaging my feet, my breath catching tightly in my throat. I had to turn my head away so that I wouldn’t have to look at him. I was so embarrassed!

     “R-Remy,” I stammered.

     “Don’ worry cheri, I just helpin’,” he repeated again.

     Out of the corner of my eyes, he had what looked to be a look of satisfaction on his face.

     “You’re so dead when we get back,” I muttered.

     “No, when we get back you can return the favor,” he said slyly.

     “Why you little sneak!” I exclaimed, shoving him a bit with my other foot.

     He just laughed merrily, before reaching into one of my bags, and pulling out a pair of socks. Before I could say anything, he pulled them out and put them on my feet. He then slipped my shoes back on and pulled me to my feet.

     “Now, let’s get done wit’ d’at shoppin’ of yours so we can get outta here,” he said.

     “You just wanna get back so that you can have me rub your feet,” I scowled.

     “Never said it be ma feet cheri,” he said, “Gambit neck an' back been mighty stiff lately. Wolverine ain’t too gentle wit’ me,” he told me, trying to hold in a grin.

     “Why you…” I smacked his arm lightly, walking away.

     “Come on, cheri, wait up,” he called, catching up to me and grabbing me by the waist.

     “What!?” I growled faintly.

     I had to stop though when he looked down at me with a serious look.

     “Cheri…” he looked around carefully for a moment, “ya need ta _slow_ down,” he said, emphasizing on slow.

     My eyes went wide when I realized what he meant. People were staring at us now and it was starting to scare me.

     “Let’s just get outta here cheri,” he said slowly, slowly moving toward the exit with me by his side.


	13. Would Have Done the Same

**Combusting Hearts**

**Chapter 13**

**Would Have Done the Same**

     When we got back, we went straight to my room. I didn’t want to be near anyone at the moment, Gambit was an exception to that at the moment.

     “Remy go grab somet’in ta eat for us,” he said, going back down stairs.

     This gave me plenty of time to hide his gift under my bed against the wall. After that, I went to my drawer and started pulling clothes out, tossing them onto the floor. I had to go through them and decide what I had to get rid of. To be honest, it was ridiculous the amount of clothes that needed to just be thrown away. I was in the middle of sorting through my clothes when Gambit came back in.

     “Whatcha doin’, cheri?” he asked, taking off his coat, and placing it on the back of the chair.

     “Throwing stuff away,” I responded promptly.

     He looked at me curiously, before pealing his dark green turtleneck sweater from his torso. My face slowly went red upon seeing this. He just looked at me with a smug expression on his face.

     “Like what ya see, cheri?” he asked, a sly smile on his face.

     I just tossed a pair of old pants at him, turning around, and going back to sorting my stuff out.

     “So, about that back rub,” he reminded me, holding my pants in his hands.

     I sighed quietly.

     “Just lay down on the bed and shut up Remy,” I told him, standing up from my spot on the floor and stretching.

     He did as he was told, laying down on his stomach, resting his head in his arms. Once he was situated, I got onto the bed, straddling him.

     “It’s not too much weight is it?” I asked, not wanting to cause him any discomfort.

     “Non, is not,” he reassured me.

     “Okay,” I said, hesitantly placing my hands on his strong shoulders.

      I could feel his muscles roll under my hands, but I also felt him relax at my touch. It was interesting. So, I continued, putting pressure on his shoulders. I pressed the brunt of my hand into his shoulder, working to relieve the tension. I could feel the muscles start to loosen up as I kneaded at his skin.

     “Mmm…d’at feel good, cheri,” he moaned, but let out a yelp a moment later. “D’at hurt, cheri,” he exclaimed, quickly grabbing hold of my hand, his brows knitting together.

     I leaned down near his ear, before whispering.

     “And _that_ is for earlier, _Gambit_ ,” I said, staring at him tentatively.

     He sighed and let go of my hand a moment later, letting me go back to working on his muscles. Once again, he laid his head back down and closed his eyes, enjoying the feel that I was giving him. I once again pressed harder with the brunt of my palm, working a knot out of his lower neck and shoulder. He moaned again, causing me to chuckle.

     “What’s so funny, cheri?” he asked, not opening his eyes.

     “Does it really feel that good?” I asked skeptically.

     “Course it does, cheri. Haven’t ya had one before?” he questioned, shifting slightly.

     “No, I haven’t,” I admitted to him, working on the spot between his shoulders.

     “D’en Gambit have ta give ya one sometime,” he said.

     A faint blush crept onto my cheeks.

     “That’s really not necessary Remy,” I said, looking away for a moment.

     I just closed my eyes, concentrating on what I was doing. Little by little, I worked my way down his back, working at his muscles. He seemed so content and at piece as I did all of this, it actually made me smile, which I didn’t do very often.

     “You know…you guys should really be more careful when you’re going at it,” I spoke quietly.

     This caught his attention, causing him to roll over a bit. I lost my balance a bit, falling on him, but he caught me.

     “Gambit didn’ know ya worry ‘bout him so much,” he said, trying to hold back a smile.

     My face flushed a bit.

     “I…I don’t…I just think that you guys should be more careful,” I stuttered, sitting back up.

     “Well, Gambit try ta be more careful d’en,” he said.

     “Do you want me to finish or not?” I asked quietly, my eyes looking elsewhere as I waited for him to turn back over.

     After a moment or so, he did, remaining quiet. I then proceeded to move to his middle to lower back, he seemed most sore in that area. My theory was proven true when he let out a small groan.

     “Little bit ta d’e right, cheri,” he instructed.

     I followed what he said, moving in a bit more to the right, pressing down on the muscles. I felt them move a bit as they rolled under my hands. His muscles were so stiff. After a while, my hands started to hurt, so I decided to use my elbow. I felt him jerk for a moment when I pressed down.

     “Sorry, Remy,” I apologized, realizing that I had probably pressed down on a nerve.

     I continued for about another 10 to 20 minutes before I grew too tired.

     “D’at’s good, cheri, you can stop now,” he said, relieving me of my duty.

     I sighed and fell off to the side of him. He just rolled over and looked at me, a kind smile on his face.

     “Now, Gambit return d’e favor,” he said, sitting up on the bed.

     My face went pale at this.

     “Remy, I really don’t think that’s necessary,” I said, trying to reason with him.

     “Nonsense, cheri. You help me, I help you. Ya just need ta loosen up,” he said, moving over a bit.

     I just shook my head, but that didn’t seem to do any good. He sighed for a moment.

     “Gambit promise ta behave,” he swore to me, crossing his finger over his heart.

     Sighing, I turned around, lifting my shirt over my head, but keeping it on my arms and covering my front. I then laid down on my stomach, trying my best to keep my nerves under control. I don’t know what possessed me to go through with it, but I guess I’m slowly starting to trust him a bit more I guess, who knows.

     “Any funny business and I’m kicking you out of here, got it?” I warned, closing my eyes.

     He just chuckled as he got behind me, straddling me like I had done to him, but he made sure not to put too much of his weight on me so that he didn’t hurt me.

     “Oui, cheri. Gambit behave,” he reassured me again.

     Moments later, I could feel his warm hands on my skin, pressing in against the muscles. It felt different than I thought it would, it actually started to feel good after a while, even though at times it hurt just a little bit. He just continued to do this, working out the pent up tense in my muscles. Now that I think about it, it might have been one of the reasons why I never really slept well. My back was always stiff and sore. The training with Logan, and the training in the danger room didn’t help matters much either. Plus, I’ve never really taken that much time to actually try and relax. I was always bent out of shape for some reason or another.

     “Remy?” I breathed out.

     “Oui, cheri?”

     “Thank you…” I whispered, his hands nearly putting me to sleep.

     “Ya know, cheri, I was wondering…” he started, but was cut off as my door burst open, an angry Logan standing in it. “Oh merde,” Gambit muttered, his eyes wide as mine.

     “What do you think you’re doin’ Gumbo!?” Logan shouted, marching over to us angrily.

     “Is not what you t’ink Wolverine,” Gambit cried, but was met with a swift punch to the face, knocking him into the floor.

     “Logan!” I yelled, quickly scrambling off of the bed as he shoved Gambit against the wall, his hand around his throat growling at him. “Stop it!” I pounded on his back, trying to get him to stomp. “Stop it Logan! You’re choking him! He can’t breathe!” I yelled.

     A moment later, he let go of Gambit, letting him fall to the floor.

     “Remy!” I knelt beside him as he coughed and gasped for air on the floor, my hand coming to touch the side of his face and throat.

     “T-t’anks…c-cheri,” he tried between breaths of air.

     I’m so glad that I slipped my shirt back on before getting off of the bed. Moments later, I grabbed Logan, and pulled him out of the room. I stared at him for a moment, before deciding to speak.

     “What were you thinking?” I asked on the verge of tears.

     “What do you mean what was I thinking!?” he yelled making me flinch.

     “He…he didn’t do anything wrong Logan,” I cried, a few tears slipping from my eyes.

     Apparently, quite a few people had heard the ruckus and decided to come out and find out what it was. They were all staring at us.

     “Then what was it that I saw?” he asked angrily.

     I had to look away from him to prevent myself from breaking down further.

     “He…he was massaging my back…I…I don’t sleep well,” I cried, moving to fall against the frame of my door.

     When he finally noticed me crying, his face fell, realization dawning on him. The only thing that I could do was stand there as everyone stared at me, including Logan and Remy. Before I could really even think about anything else, I got frustrated, and I took off running. I pushed everyone out of the way as I ran down the hall. I ran down the stairs, nearly tripping over a few of them in my haste, and then just ran outside into the cold.

     The moment I got outside I nearly fell to the ground in tears, but made my way over to the courtyard wall. I didn’t realize that the Professor could see me from where he was, but he could. So, I just sat there crying in nothing, but a simple worn out shirt and pants as the cold winter wind blew against me. It was freezing out, but I didn’t care, I just wanted to be away from everyone.

* * *

     Everyone just stood there, watching as Elaine ran down the hall. No one moved, save to get out of her way as she pushed through them. Scott had seen the whole thing, but stood there as she ran, his eyes traveling to Logan.

     “And you think I’m a dick?” he scoffed, turning to walk away.

     He went back to his room and grabbed his jacket from his chair, walking back out, and then down the hall. No one stopped him, they just kept staring at Logan, who looked crest fallen. He hadn’t realized what had happened till it was too late. He had smelled the Cajun in her room and came in to investigate. How was he supposed to know that the man wasn’t doing anything wrong? He was on top of her, no shirt on, and she had her shirt off. Granted, she wasn’t facing him, but how was he supposed to know. He just wanted to protect her, that’s all.

     Now, Gambit finally stood up, a bruise already forming on his face as he grabbed his sweater and put it back on. He then grabbed his coat and walked out, placing his hand on Logan’s shoulder.

     “I would ‘ave done d’e same t’ing Wolverine, but I gotta go now,” he said as he moved down the hall in a hurry.

     He had to find her, he had to find Elaine and get her back inside because he knew that she’d be outside. The girl didn’t trust her emotions in front of other people, and he knew why. She was lonely, scared, and just didn’t get along with people. There were so many reasons, but in a way, he knew exactly why.


	14. Snow

**Combusting Hearts**

**Chapter 14**

**Snow**

     When Gambit finally found her, he was taken back a bit by finding her in Scott’s arms crying. He hadn’t expected that. Especially, since they didn’t really like each other that much from what he had seen. Then again, sometimes Scott can actually act like a person, normally he was just in a bad mood.

* * *

     I just sat there crying as the winter wind blew against me, causing me to shake and shiver. The cold was starting to take its toll on me as I sat there in the snow, but I continued to sit there with my knees against my chest till I heard someone call my name.

     “Elaine!” they called.

     I lifted my head to find Scott searching the courtyard, eyes scanning the area. When he had finally caught sight of me, he began running toward me. I was completely shocked that he had come after me. Scott…Scott of all people. He even seemed to have a faint look of... Was that concern on his face?

     I sniffled quietly as I stared up at him, my eyes welling up once more.

     “Scott…” I choked, throwing my arms around him as he knelt down in front of me.

     I felt him stiffen for a moment, before he slowly wrapped his arms around me, trying to sooth me as I cried. I just couldn’t help it anymore, and I didn’t care if it was Scott or not that witnessed it. Surprisingly enough, he actually sat there with me as I cried, embracing me. He held on to me as I cried on his shoulder, shaking from the cold and my emotions. His hand rubbed my back while the other rested in my hair.

     Moments later, I heard a small gasp, turning my eyes to find Gambit standing there.

     “R-Remy…” I whispered, sniffling as I looked at him.

     “Ma Cheri,” he breathed, hurrying over to us with his coat in hand. “Cheri!” he exclaimed, falling to his knees beside us.

     He was panting and looked frantic. He took my hand as I reached out to him, pulling me to him as he hugged me, before he quickly wrapped his coat are me in an attempt to warm me from the cold. I think that I was already starting to develop frostbite, especially since I couldn’t feel my face or fingers.

     “Cheri…your lips are blue,” he frowned, gently brushing his thumb over my lips.

     I winced faintly when he did this.

     “Oh, cheri,” he whispered, pulling me up with him.

     I cried out when he did this, my legs not wanting to bend properly. It hurt trying to stand, which only caused me to cling to him and cry again.

     “We have to get her inside,” Scott said, getting up and running toward the mansion.

     Gambit did the same thing as he picked me up in his arms, holding me against his chest as he ran with me bundled up. When he got to the doors, Scott held them open, ushering him inside and into the living area close to the fire. A few of the kids that were still up moved out of the way to make room.

     “Peter, help me move this couch,” Scott said to a large boy that was in the room.

     They quickly moved the couch closer to the fire place, were Gambit then set me down.

     “Quickly, we need blankets,” Scott said flipping out a bit.

     I had never seen him like this, so concerned for me when he never really even seemed to care at all. It was then that I started to fall asleep, unable to stay awake any longer. I could hear the frantic running of footsteps and the desperate talk around me as people hurried to help. Before I knew it, my clothes had been removed and I was covered with thick blankets. That was the last thing that I remembered before I finally fell into unconsciousness, falling into darkness.

* * *

     Everyone just stood there watching her as she fell asleep. Her face was still pale from the cold, her lips blue, and her fingertips faintly black. They had to fix that and fast. Frostbite was never a good thing, but they could reverse it, since it hadn’t had a chance to fully develop.

     They had brought Hank in to take care of it, since they didn’t want anyone sitting around just staring at her the entire time.

     Gambit seemed to be bent up the most about it. Scott had watched him the moment that they came in, he had never left her side, not once. Scott could tell that there was something there, but he’d rather not think about it. Not having Jean around anymore was already hard enough.

     “Gambit, maybe you should go to bed. I’ll watch her,” Scott said, trying to get him to stop worrying as much.

     Although, Scott already knew what he was going to say to that.

     “Non, je ne partirai pas,” (1)he muttered, holding Elaine’s cold hand in his own, trying to warm it up as Hank took care of her other appendages.

     It was definitely a change for everyone. This was the first time that they had seen something like this and experienced it. Scott had never been that fond of her, but he had his reasons. In all honesty, in a way, she reminded him of Jean. It hurt to see her like that, it really did. She was strong like Jean was, her powers monstrous, and yet she tried her best to control them and help if she could. Although, she was still scared most of the time, and that was one thing that Scott _did_ notice above all else.

     “She be alright, Hank?” Gambit asked, letting his eyes shift over to the fury blue man beside him.

     “Yes, she’ll be fine Remy. Although, I’m afraid that she’ll be sick for a while. By listening to her chest, I believe that she might have developed a mild case of pneumonia prior to this, but I can’t be sure yet,” he told him, glancing back down Elaine as he washed her hands with hot water to get the circulation back into her hands.

     As they sat there taking care of her, a few students watched. Some of them were curious, others were worried, and some were scared for her.

     Meanwhile, Logan was talking with the Professor about some things. He was fairly upset with himself and needed to sort things out properly. He knew that he had over reacted, but he couldn’t help it, there had been such a great need to protect her. He didn’t understand why he felt this way, he just did. His instincts told him that he needed to protect her, like part of her was his, but he knew for a fact that it wasn’t. He was so confused.

     “Logan, you really must calm down,” the Professor told him, carefully wheeling his chair beside him.

     He hadn’t seen Logan this stressed in quite some time. Although, he could partially tell why he was like this, and it actually made him smile.

     “I can tell, that you care a great deal for Elaine, Logan. She is like family, am I right?” he inquired, already knowing the answer before Logan would speak it.

     Logan finally came to a conclusion upon hearing the Professor’s words.

     “She’s like my kid…” he said quietly, making the Professor smile.

     “She’s a little girl in your eyes Logan, one that you never had,” he said, watching Logan closely. “If you’re worried about her Logan, you can always go check on her. I do believe that she’s laying in the living area in front of the fireplace at this very moment,” the Professor informed him, allowing him to walk out of the room, and down the hall.

     When he finally got into the living area, he saw that the Professor was right. Elaine was laying on the couch, pulled right in front of the fireplace, blankets covering her. He also saw that Gambit was nearly asleep with her hand in his. Hank and Scott were standing nearby talking with one another about everything. It was even worse when Scott caught sight of him, making his way over to him the moment that he was in view.

     “Logan,” Scott started, but Logan only moved away from him.

     “Please, no lectures? I already feel bad enough,” Logan admitted, trying to move away from Scott.

     “I already know that, that’s why _I’m_ not gonna be a pain in the ass,” he hissed faintly, before walking into another room.

     That hit Logan deep, making his fingers curl painfully. Why had he gone and done that? Why did he _have_ to say that?

     He wanted to growl and yell, but he didn’t want to wake Elaine up. Or Gambit… He sighed heavily as he stepped over to them, glancing down at the two. Elaine, she laid there on the couch with a blanket covering her no doubt nearly naked body, while Gambit sat there with her. He sat there holding her hand, his head resting on the couch quietly with his eyes closed. Logan could tell where he had hit him, for his eye was now swollen shut just about, and his cheek held a nasty bruise upon it. He also noticed that once again, he had nothing on his front. Although, he didn’t blame him, given the fact that he was so close to the fire.

     Logan came up behind the couch, grabbing the top of it with his hands. He looked down at Elaine’s sleeping face, guilt washing over him as he did so. He wished that he could take it back, to have gone and not frightened her as he had done, but alas, he could not do so. So, he decided to leave her there with the Cajun, silently knowing that he would take care of her. And that was exactly what Gambit did, him and Hank, and Scott. The three of them watching out for her so that nothing would happen to her.

**(1) No, I will not leave**


	15. Mitten, Mitten, Who's Got the Mitten?

**Combusting Hearts**

**Chapter 15**

**Mitten, Mitten, Who's Got the Mitten?**

     Today was my second day on the couch. Luckily, I actually had clothes on now. I had flipped out when I had woken up with Gambit sitting there, me under the blankets with no clothes, save for my bra and underwear. It was so embarrassing! I was glad to have so many blankets to cover me.

     At the moment, I was just sitting here with Gambit, a crochet hook in my hand, and thick yarn in my lap. I was making something for Kurt and I was having Gambit help me by lending me his hand. I had to have a reference for a shape to make a proper pair of mittens for Kurt. I nearly laughed as I sat there watching Gambit. He actually had a grin on his face, trying to hold in his own laugh at the moment.

     “Is this really so amusing to you Remy?” I questioned, continuing to crochet the chain of yarn around his hand.

     “Only slightly, cheri,” he said, but I knew better.

     He found this hilarious at the moment and I could easily tell. He didn't have that look on his face for no reason.

     “Or is it that you’d rather prefer me make you a pair instead?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow at him curiously.

     “Maybe. You t’ink you could make me one when you done wit’ his?” he asked, making me smile.

     “Of course Remy,” I told him, continuing with my work.

     I was actually having fun with this, not to mention, I was also enjoying his company. I had frowned though upon waking up for the first time, finding him sitting there with me with a black eye and swollen cheek. In fact, his left eye had been swollen shut just about. It was rather frightening when I saw it. Poor Remy, he didn’t deserve to get hit like that. In fact, he hadn’t deserved to get hit at all. My brows furrowed slightly upon thinking about it.

     “Somet’ing wrong, cheri?” he asked.

     I shook my head no before turning my eyes toward him.

     “No, nothing’s wrong Remy. I was just thinking is all,” I told him, going back to working on the mittens.

     I had to keep his hand still a few times because he kept moving it deliberately. For some reason he just loved playing around, trying to see what he could get away with before I decided to correct him. To be honest, it was rather entertaining at times. He would move this way and that, then I’d have to grab his hand and stop him in an attempt to keep him still. He enjoyed pushing my buttons a bit here and there, but it was all in good fun for the most part. Although, when I grabbed his ear, he knew to stay still. That has officially become my secret weapon. In order to get him to listen or stop doing something, all I have to do is grab him by the ear and pull it a bit. Granted, not too hard. I mean, I didn’t want to actually hurt him or anything, I just wanted him to stop at times.

     “Would you stay still?” I asked, making to grab for his ear, causing him to stop immediately.

     See, what did I tell you, secret weapon. Although, when I was finally done with the first one, he decided to get up and play around a bit. I laughed when he started pecking at me with the thing, pretending that his hand was a bird. I swatted at it when he tried gently pecking at my head, grabbing his hand to stop him, but that didn’t seem to work. He just kept right with it for a good five minutes before I decided to try and get up. That was a _big_ mistake. I ended up collapsing and falling to the floor on my knees. I didn’t think that my body would be that weak, but I guess that I was wrong about that one.

     Gambit came running over to me immediately, helping me back up and onto the couch.

     “You alright, cheri?” his voice was one of concern as he knelt in front of me, his hands resting on my shoulders.

     “I didn’t think I’d be that weak,” I whispered quietly, not exactly realizing that I had even said it in the first place.

     “You’re not weak, cheri, ya just sick is all,” he said, bringing his hand to rest on my cheek.

     I stared at him for a moment as he did this. His hand felt so good against my cheek, nice and warm, calming too for some reason or another. I didn’t really know what the reason was though.

     “Maybe Gambit should let ya rest for now,” he said, making to get up.

     I grabbed his hand though before he could walk off.

     “Wait…it…it’s still early. Besides…we still have one more mitten to finish,” I said, not wanting him to leave.

     I didn’t want to be alone, nor did I truly want to sleep at the moment. He looked down at me, unsure as I still held onto his hand. After a moments thought, he finally sat down next to me on the couch, picking up the yarn and crochet hook for me.

     “Alright, cheri, but ya gonna have ta go ta bed some time though,” he said with a light chuckle.

     I smiled at him, glad that he had decided to stay for a while longer. I needed the company more than he or anyone else realized at the moment.

     “Thank you…” I whispered, taking the yarn and crochet hook from him.

     I soon started working on the second mitten, the chain of yarn weaving around his wrist, and slowly up his hand. It took a little while, but I eventually got it finished. It was then that I decided to work on a pair for Gambit. He smiled at this, actually deciding to stay still for once. I guess he figured that since they were for him, that he had a reason to actually stay still this time. It didn’t take too long though before I started to grow tired. I started nodding off at random points, quickly shaking myself awake. Gambit found this to be rather amusing to watch. Eventually though, I ended up falling asleep on him, my head resting on his lap much like I had done with Logan before.

* * *

     Gambit sat there watching her as she slept. After countless times of nearly falling asleep on him, he decided to rest her head in his lap. She laid there for a few moments, desperately fighting to keep her eyes open, before she no longer could. He was surprised though when she had curled into him, trying to absorb as much warmth as possible. It made him smile though, a true and genuine smile.

     She was growing more comfortable around him each and every day, growing to trust him just a little bit more. He rather liked being in her company and tried to do it as much as possible. In a way, it seemed to lift somewhat of a weight off of him that he hadn’t realized was there. Well, actually, that was a lie. He knew that it was there, and had been there for years, he just never knew how to fix it. That is, until now.

     Gambit realized that she seemed to have an effect on everyone in the mansion or at least those that knew her anyway. For instance, he knew from experience that Scott was a major asshole, and yet he was starting to lighten up a bit because of Elaine. And Wolverine…Lord have mercy, Wolverine. Gambit had known that man for a long time, and he wasn’t easily tamed. Depending on what it was, Logan just didn’t give a damn, but that wasn’t the case here. There was even something about the Professor that Gambit just couldn’t put his finger on, but he knew that it was there.

     Unfortunately, he also knew that she had caught Magneto’s eye without even trying to. He never did like that man, for he had tried to get Gambit to join him before, but he turned him down saying that his place belonged with the X-Men. With the X-Men was the only place that he truly belonged and he was sure of that. Though he still feared for Elaine. No doubt, it would only be a matter of time before Magneto tried something again, another attempt to take her. Although, he’d never lay a finger on her if Gambit had anything to say about it. He knew how cruel that man could be. Yes, he’s all for mutants, but the way that he goes about it is all wrong. The only thing that the man is proving to do is start a war between humans and mutants, and a nasty one at that.

     “So much ridin’ on one t’ing, cheri,” he whispered quietly as he looked down at her.

     The other problem that he had come to realize was her powers. Her powers were far greater than she or anyone else realized. Although, Gambit could see it, for they were like his. Still, hers were a bit different. She had more to her powers, more variations that exceeded what she currently used. This is why she was classified as being a class 5 mutant, one of the strongest mutants you could come up against. He just prayed that he would never have to truly fight against her. He wouldn’t be able to bare it, knowing that he would hurt her, but he knew that if he had to…that he would have to go through with it. Still, he would try with all his power to avoid such a happening as that at all costs.

     “How’s she doing?” came a voice from behind him.

     He turned his head to find Logan standing there. He seemed a bit on edge as he addressed the Cajun, but Gambit knew why. The events from the other day were still plaguing his mind no doubt.

     “She doin’ a bit better. She tired though…nearly hurt herself,” he breathed, shifting his eyes back to Elaine as she continued to lay there with her head on his lap.

     “How’s your eye?” Logan asked suddenly, startling him a bit.

     “Doesn’ hurt as much,” he told him, bringing his hand up to touch it for a moment, before glancing at Logan for a moment with his good eye.

     “I really am…sorry about that Gumbo,” Logan had a bit of a hard time getting those words out of his mouth, since he wasn’t used to apologizing to him.

     It kind of shocked Gambit for a moment, but just a moment.

     “No you’re not, ya just sorry you didn’ land d’e punch when we was sparring,” he said, giving a very faint laugh.

     He could hear Logan grumble something under his breath before walking away. He could hear the sound of Logan’s fist slamming against something once he was out of the room.

     “Well, cheri, looks like we made d’e Wolverine mad,” he chuckled quietly as he brushed a bit of hair out of her face.

     He had to admit that in the glow of the fire, she really was pretty. Then again, she had always held a current charm in his eyes. It was in mid thought that he realized she was shifting around a bit, her hand clutching his pants leg. He frowned as he looked down at her, a thin layer of sweat slowly forming on her skin. When he felt her forehead, he found it to be quite hot, making him withdraw his hand. Her pain was obvious to him and he knew that he had to help her if he could.


	16. Dreamscape

**Combusting Hearts**

**Chapter 16**

**Dreamscape**

     My body was on fire and the sound of voices filled my head. There was talking, crying, screaming, yelling…so many things at once that I couldn’t tell the difference between them. I couldn’t tell what was real and what wasn’t.

     Lord, I can’t breathe. I’m so hot… My body hurts all over the place. Logan… Remy… Where is everyone?

* * *

_It’s so dark. The only thing I can see are the stars above me, shining down upon me. I felt a horrible pain grow inside me as I gazed up at them, almost as if I were being torn apart. It was nearly unbearable. It felt like my mind was being picked apart. Lord, I can’t breathe._

_“Come out and play little frail,” a voice called teasingly._

_I knew that voice from somewhere, but where? I looked around frantically trying to find the holder of the voice. I bumped into something, then all of a sudden I was thrown backward into a tree, a hand at my throat._

_“There you are little one,” he cooed, running the back of his nail over my cheek slowly._

_I froze in fear, unable to move as he had me pinned to the tree by my neck, squeezing._

_“So much trouble over a single frail,” he whispered into my ear slowly._

_A shiver ran up my spine as he did this, chills covering and attacking my skin._

_“W-what do you…w-want?” I choked out._

_He just grinned at me, before throwing me to the ground roughly. I groaned as I looked up at him, gently rubbing my throat._

_“What do I want? What do I want? Why, I want to play,” he said, stepping toward me._

_I scooted back quickly, trying to get as far away from him as possible, but it did me little good as I backed up into another tree._

_“Aw…no where to run?” he taunted, advancing on me even closer._

* * *

     “What you mean it has somet’in to do wit’ her powers?” Gambit nearly yelled as he threw his hands into the air.

     “What I mean Remy, is that her powers seem to be a catalyst of sorts,” the Professor explained.

     “I don’ care ‘bout no catalyst. What’s happenin to her?” his voice rose a bit in anger and frustration.

     This was probably the third time now that her powers had something to do with her health. He was getting tired of seeing this happen to her.

     “I’m afraid that I’m not entirely sure Gambit,” he admitted, before being interrupted by a yell.

     Elaine was yelling in her sleep as though she were fighting for her life. Her hands were turning red.

     “Wake her up, quickly!” the Professor ordered, the urgency in his voice overwhelming.

     Gambit ran to her, quickly grabbing her wrists in his hands.

     “Cheri, wake up. Wake up, cheri!” he said, trying to hold her still.

     Her hands continued to glow as he stood there trying to wake her.

     “Cheri, wake up!”

     “No…no…NO!” she cried, thrashing around violently.

     It was like something was trying to attack her and she couldn’t seem to get away. She was stuck in that frantic fear, unable to escape.

     “Elaine!” he yelled, her eyes shooting wide open a few moments later. “Elaine…” he whispered over the sound of her panting, “cheri…” he pulled her close to him, holding her there as tears slowly fell from her eyes.

     As he stood there, the glowing of her hands slowly faded away, leaving her sitting there weakly in Gambit’s arms. He just held her there, giving her comfort as best he could. He didn’t know what else to do.

     “I’m never…going back to sleep again…” she whispered as she attempted to stand, her knees buckling under her weight.

     Gambit caught her quickly before she could hit the ground, picking her up in his arms. He looked over at the Professor for a moment.

     “I’ll take care o’ her,” he said quietly, before turning and walking out of the room with Elaine in his arms.

     Logan watched them go, his eyes never leaving Elaine until she was no longer in his sight.

     “Where’s he taking her?” he asked, turning to the Professor.

     “For now, merely to his room,” he told him as he wheeled toward the door. “And Logan, I ask you, please trust him for now?” the Professor asked.

     All that Logan could do was nod his head slowly, unsure of what else to do. He was at a loss for words.

* * *

     The walk back upstairs was silent, neither one of us speaking a word. Then again, it’s not like I would say much of anything anyway. I was still shaken up from that dream. In fact, it didn’t even seem like a dream at all, it was so real. I could still feel the man’s hand on my throat, squeezing it painfully. That, and his cold, blood thirsty black eyes staring back at me. The whole thing sent a shiver down my spine and I found myself hiding my face against Gambit’s chest.

     “It’ll be alright, cheri,” he cooed softly, shifting me in his arms a bit to open his door.

     I didn’t say anything as we went inside. He shut and locked the door, before moving over and laying me down on his bed.

     “Remy…?” I whispered, watching as he pulled up the chair from his desk.

     “Oui, cheri?”

     “You…you called me…by my name earlier,” I whispered, realizing that he had never called me by my name before.

     “So I did…” he said quietly, realizing it himself. “I was worried ‘bout ya, cheri, real worried,” he said.

     “I’m sorry…” I whispered, slowly bringing my knees to my chest.

     His brows furrowed as he watched me do this.

     “You did nothin’ wrong, cheri. Nothin’, ya hear me?” he said, his voice firm, but gentle as he took my hands in his own. “Cheri, what happened?” he asked slowly, stroking the back of my hand with his thumb.

     “I…I don’t know…” I whispered, thinking back to my dream. “It was so real…” I breathed, slowly pulling one if my hands away from his, bringing it to my throat carefully. “I can still feel his hand on my throat,” I said, wincing faintly when I touched my throat.

     Gambit’s brows furrowed considerably when he saw this, carefully taking my hand and pulling it back. What he saw shocked and angered him. There, on my throat was the beginnings of a bruise in the shape of a large hand. He brushed his finger against it gently, pulling back when he saw me wince.

     “Cheri, who was d’is man, in your dream?” he asked, his eyes laced with worry.

     “A beast like man…the same one that attacked me and Logan,” I told him, thinking about when it had happened, along with the physical pain that it had brought to me.

     “Sabertooth?” he questioned.

     “I think that’s what Logan had called him,” I said, letting my eyes travel to his for a moment.

     I could almost see the gears turning in his head as he sat there. It was like he was trying to solve a puzzle in his head. Likely a very dangerous puzzle.

     “Remy…” I whispered, “I’m scared…” I whimpered.

     Tears slowly started to pour from my eyes as I sat there on his bed, body shaking.

     “Cheri…” he sat down on the bed beside me and pulled me to him, holding me and shushing me softly.

     I just cried, unable to stop it. I was already sick and now this was happening. This whole thing was scaring me and I was afraid that there was something truly horrible behind it all.

* * *

     He sat there holding her for a long while, just sitting and stroking her hair in an attempt to calm her. It seemed to help a great deal, but she still cried. When he had seen the place on her throat, he had immediately gone livid. Someone had harmed Elaine and that was unacceptable in his book. Whoever had done this had to be stopped, but unfortunately, he couldn’t do anything about it tonight. In fact, he didn’t even have the will to leave her here as she was. She needed him too much right now and regardless of how furious he was at this unknown person, he wasn’t about to go and leave her alone.

     While sitting there, he had quietly managed to push his shoes off, slowly coming to lay down on the bed with her. He moved so that she laid against him, his arms around her, holding and comforting her. He could tell that this whole thing was both physically and emotionally draining for her. He would have to do something special for her on Christmas, something that she’d never forget, something that would make her smile from ear to ear. He already had an idea in his head, but in order for it to work, he’d need some help.

     Gambit was slightly surprised at how calmly and easily she had taken to laying with him. She hadn’t backed away or gotten up or anything, she just allowed herself to lay there with him, his arms placed around her protectively. She was starting to develop a certain need for his company. She always did hate being alone, but she never showed it or more rather, no one really ever took notice to it. Gambit did though because he was just like her in that regard.

     “Remy…” she whispered his name, her hand curled around a small bit of his shirt, her head resting against his chest.

     He had no doubt that she was listening to the sound of his heart beating rhythmically. He was sure that hers was doing the same, especially, since she had calmed down quite a bit.

     “Don’ worry, cheri, I'm not goin’ anywhere,” he assured her, going back to stroking her hair gently.

     Doing this seemed to put her at ease.

     “Not without you,” he whispered quietly.

     After a while, he heard her breathing mellow out exceptionally, her chest slowly rising and falling against his. The sight of her eyes closed confirmed that she was finally asleep.

     He smiled faintly as he looked down at her. She truly was beautiful. With the crimson streaks of red in her dark hair, and those reddish eyes of hers, she was something else. She was one of a kind in his mind. He sighed as he closed his eyes, trying his best to relax, which wasn’t that hard with her in his arms.

     He woke back up somewhere around 2 in the morning to her shaking. She had started struggling a bit in his arms, her brow covered in a light layer of sweat. Even as her hands started to glow red, he held her against him, concentrating on dulling her powers.

     “Cheri, it’s okay,” he whispered in her ear.

     That didn’t seem to work as well as he had hoped, watching as she struggled a bit more. It was then that he noticed her arm, lifting his hand to see it, finding what looked to be a slowly forming bruise in the shape of a hand. The problem was, it wasn’t from him, it was far too big to be from his hand.

     “Cheri?” he tried yet again to wake her up, shaking her a bit.

     She made no move to wake.

     “Cheri, you have to wake up,” he said, the worry in his voice coming out.

     “Remy…” she whimpered in her sleep, struggling further against whatever was plaguing her mind.

     Her voice came out as one of pain. Whatever it was it was hurting her. Finding his original attempts to be failing, he went to the next one.

     “Elaine…” he whispered in her ear, “Elaine…you need ta wake up, cheri, wake up from d’at dream o’ yours,” he told her, watching as she fought a bit more.

     He sighed heavily, moving to rest his forehead against hers.

     “Wake up, cheri, ya have ta wake up,” he said, kissing her blazing forehead.

     The moment that he did that, it was like something changed. Her struggling stopped for a moment, allowing her to breathe properly. She then let out a whimper, before slowly opening her eyes a minute later.

     Her face was pale, but a bit red from hyperventilating. Her eyes were scared and frantic, shifting quickly all over the place. She was tired and scared, shaking in his arms.

     “Cheri…”


	17. Sedative

**Combusting Hearts**

**Chapter 17**

**Sedative**

     I thought that I was going to die before I finally woke up. When I opened my eyes, I saw Remy laying there with his arms around me. His face looked pained as he stared at me, worry and concern in his eyes. He almost looked lost as he laid there.

     “Cheri…” he whispered, closing his eyes as he placed his forehead against mine.

     “Remy…” I could feel tears coming to my eyes.

     “Is alright, cheri, is alright,” he said, holding me against him protectively.

     I knew that I was _never_ going back to sleep. I was afraid of running into _him_ again or possibly someone else. I was scared for my life at this point, it was absolutely terrifying. Each and every time that I closed my eyes, images replayed in my mind. That beastly man towering over me, fangs bared, claws ready to strike. Worst of all, I was sore again, and it was coming from my arm. Against my better judgment, I glanced down at it, my fears confirmed. It was there, the bruise, the large shapely hand that had once been there though gone now, still marked my body. I was truly terrified now. All that I could do was cry, nothing else seemed to come to mind at that moment, save for the tears that rapidly began to fall from my eyes.

     “Don’ cry, cheri, please don’ cry,” Gambit pleaded, stroking my cheek softly.

     I just couldn’t help it. I was so scared. I wanted this madness to stop.

     “Why don’ we go see d’e Professor, cheri? See if he can help,” he suggested, sitting up with me a bit.

     I looked at him for barely a moment, nodding my head faintly, not trusting my own voice at this point.

     “Come on d’en,” he started, but paused for a moment, looking down at me. “Actually, want me ta go get Wolverine? I go get d’e Professor after d’at,” he said.

     I nodded quietly, my eyes still watery as I sat there, pulling my knees to my chest. He brought his hand up to my face, resting it gently on my cheek.

     “It’ll be alright, cheri, I promise,” he said, trying to calm me.

     I sat there quietly, fighting back the urge to cry again as he left the room. I barely even registered the sound of voices exchanging back and forth as I sat there hugging myself. After what seemed like an eternity in my mind, the sound of footsteps came running toward the room, stopping abruptly in front of it.

     Logan stood there with a look of worry plastered on his face as he saw me, slowly moving toward me into the room.

     “Kid?” he called hesitantly, sitting down on the bed and placing a hand on my shoulder.

     I barely even lifted my head, my eyes puffy and redder than usual.

     “Elaine…” he sighed, before pulling me to him.

     It was then that I started crying again, sobbing, and gasping for air as I buried myself in his arms. I wanted escape in the worst way possible. Unfortunately, with Gambit out of the room, it didn’t take Logan long to notice the bruise on my arm. He saw the size and shape of the hand print, a growl slowly rising from his throat.

     “It wasn’t Remy,” I whispered quietly, trying to stop crying.

     Logan snorted.

     “I know it wasn’t, but I know who it was,” he said, the growing irritation and anger evident in his voice.

     I was almost scared at the sound of it, but I knew it wasn’t directed toward me, so I was good. I just couldn’t stop shaking though as tremor after tremor hit my body. My dreams were coming to light in the worst way and I couldn’t do a thing about it.

     “Elaine, dear?” I looked up to find the Professor, Gambit standing by his side.

     The Professor gave him a subtle nod, allowing him to walk over to me. I felt like a child as Gambit knelt down before me, taking my face gently in his hands as he whipped away my tears. My vision blurred as I looked down at him, my voice stuck in my throat. I mouthed his name quietly, trying to hold back my tears, but more came to fall down my delicate cheeks.

     “Shh…shh…shush now, cheri, is alright,” he cooed softly, stroking my cheek with his thumb.

     It calmed me down a bit to the point that I was no longer gasping for air, but merely sat with sniffles and hiccups. He smiled warmly at me seeing how calm I was, finding something there that he hadn’t noticed before.

     I could have fallen asleep right there in front of Gambit, so easily I could have, but I didn’t. No, I sat there staring into his red and black eyes, losing myself. I felt a spark of power rise inside of me as I stared at him, but I didn’t know what it was from. All that I knew was that I felt that strange spark inside of me.

     “Remy…” I whispered, wincing when I spoke.

     My throat was still sore and throbbing, the feeling of the bruise remaining on my esophagus.

     “Professor,” Gambit called, nodding toward me.

     The man then rolled over to us, gently taking my face in his warm hands. I could hear the sound of his breath being drawn in quickly upon seeing my neck.

     “Dear Lord…” he whispered, carefully brushing his finger against my neck.

      I sucked in a large amount of air when he did this, pain searing my skin. I had to bite back more tears as I sat there. Though gentle as he was, it still hurt with the slight pressure that was placed there. I could feel him faintly trailing his fingertips over the mark on my throat, being as careful as he possibly could. He could even see the imprint of nail marks on my neck as well, faint punctures from those black claws. I nearly cried when he ran his finger over one spot causing his brows to furrow. One spot was already a deep purple, almost black, and it was terribly painful to the touch.

     “Professor…” I whispered in a pained voice, the fear apparent in my voice.

     All that he could do was stare at me as he sat there in his chair, a concerned air around him. His eyes and fingers then trailed down to my arm, assessing the damage. The bruise was becoming more prominent as the minutes rolled by. My face scrunched up when he touched it, sending images of my dream back to me, causing me to cry.

     “Is alright, cheri, is alright,” Gambit whispered softly as he brushed his hand gently against my cheek.

     I could feel my stomach churning and twisting painfully, bile slowly forming as I quickly placing my hand over my mouth.

     “Trash can,” I choked out quickly.

     Logan quickly retrieved it, placing it in front of me just as I began to throw up. Stress does wonders to the body doesn’t it? I groaned as I sat there, body hunched over with my head down as Gambit held my hair back while rubbing my back gently. I soon found myself leaning toward him till eventually, my head was laying in his lap, my eyes closed. He just sat there holding one of my hands, while stroking my hair with his other hand. Logan and the Professor sat there watching this quietly. They really didn’t know what to do, or at least Logan didn’t.

     “I think that I shall have to give her a sedative,” the Professor said, slowly wheeling toward the door.

     After that, the Professor left, leaving Gambit and Logan behind to watch me.

     “What’s going to happen to me…?” I whispered quietly, barely keeping my eyes open.

     “I don’ know, cheri, but Gambit promise ya one t’ing,” he started, causing me to turn and look up at him, “I be wit’ ya till d’e end o’ d’is,” he promised, making me smile a bit.

     A few minutes later, the Professor came back in with something in his hand. It was a needle.

     “Elaine,” he called my name, causing me to shift my gaze toward him.

     When I met his eyes, I knew what it was. It was time for the sedative, time to go to sleep, time to rest.

     “Remy…Logan…” I whispered their names as the Professor gently took hold of my arm, cleaning it with an alcohol pad, before pressing the needle into my skin.

     The sedative in question made quick work in tiring me. Soon enough, I found myself struggling to keep my eyes open. Both Logan and Gambit were watching me carefully, watching me fight against this sedatives persuasive methods. It was becoming a tiresome act to attempt. Just simply sleeping was a much better decision in my mind. Shortly after, my will power was no more, and sleep came quickly. I was soon sent into a visionless darkness, no light, no color, no nothing, just darkness. That’s where I laid for what would seem an endless cold eternity.

* * *

     Gambit sat there quietly with Elaine’s head in his lap. He sat there running his fingers quietly through her hair. It was so soft to the skin of his hand.

     “Cheri,” he sighed quietly, closing his eyes as he leaned back against his headboard, Logan and the Professor watching him. “What we do now?” he asked, not looking at either one of them.

     “I suppose all that we can do is merely let her sleep,” the Professor said as he turned toward Elaine’s sleeping form, “but…I would like to try and see what has been bothering her,” he said.

     Logan turned to look at him, shifting a bit.

     “You’re going to read her mind, aren’t you?” Logan asked, already knowing the answer.

     “Yes. Normally, I would only do such a thing with her permission, but…given the situation it needs to be done for her safety,” he explained as he placed his hands gently on either side of Elaine’s face.

* * *

     The images came in flashes as he sifted through her mind, searching for the thing that had been causing her pain. Her mind itself was like a giant maze, with so many turns and dead ends, he started to wonder if he would ever find what he was looking for. It was as if things had been scrambled around somehow.

     As he continued to sift through her mind, a few memories made their way to him.

* * *

_Rain pelted the ground as lightning flashed and stretched through the sky. The scared and fearful cries of a young girl could be heard as she shivered in the cold. She was crying. She couldn’t have been more than 13 years of age, and she was outside in the cold, banging on the door of a house._

_“P-please l-l-let me in?! I’ll be good,” she cried, letting out a yelp as her ears were met with an ominous crash of thunder. “P-p-please?” she begged, falling to her knees as she hugged herself, trying her best to retain any amount of warmth._

_A couple stood by the front window looking out at her, a hate filled look on their faces as they stared at her. All that she could do was sit out in the pouring rain as the storm continued on, pelting and bruising her skin with its icy touch. The scene itself was completely nerve wrecking and that’s putting it nicely. What was even worse was that the neighbors merely turned a blind eye to the entire thing, leaving the poor girl to sit in the cold all night long, only to be taken to the hospital the following day with a case of moderate hypothermia._

* * *

     The Professor felt himself shiver as he passed through that memory, only to be met with another memory from her mind.

* * *

_Headstones everywhere you turned. That was all that could be seen, save for the occasional flowers that decorated them._

_A little girl was knelt in front of a double burial headstone with her head down. She had a few bandages wrapped around her arms and legs, a few bandages on her face even. She sat there crying in front of the recently turned soil, hands curling into the dirt, the dirt caking underneath of her nails._

_The headstone read the names_ Helen _and_ John Conners _, her parents of 12 years._

_The poor girl nearly lashed out when someone tried to touch her to pull her away. She didn’t want to leave, in fact, she didn’t even want to be alive anymore._

_In her mind, she killed her parents, it was her fault that they were gone. She blamed herself for the whole incident, every bit of it. She just couldn’t stop blaming herself for their deaths, even though it wasn’t entirely her fault, but merely an accident. This young girl saw it as murder._

* * *

     Just like the one before, it made him shiver as it faded away. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find what he was looking for, almost as if it were somehow being blocked and hidden from him. The only thing that he managed to find was past memories and newer ones, but that was it, he couldn’t find the source of the problem, but he knew that it was there somewhere.


	18. Christmas Eve

**Combusting Hearts**

**Chapter 18**

**Christmas Eve**

     A few days later, I woke up in the same place in which I had been sleeping each night. I woke up in Gambit’s bed, laying beside him.

     Each night, the Professor had to give me a special sedative to make me go to sleep. It was one that blocked out the terrifying dreams that I’ve been having. Just to make sure that I’m still stable through the night, the Professor assigned Gambit to watch me and stay by my side. So, basically, it meant sleeping in his room each night.

     Gambit was a perfect gentleman though. He never tried anything. The only thing that he would do at times was hold me in his arms as I slept. He said that that way, he would always know that I was safe. I knew that there was more to it, but I didn’t bother to ask or push the matter. I was just happy having someone that I could trust to be with me and keep me company, and currently, that someone was Gambit.

     Today was special, today was Christmas Eve, meaning that tomorrow was Christmas day. I was so excited that I could barely contain it. I knew that I had to keep quiet though, since I didn’t want to wake Gambit up. I still had things to do, so I left his room and went to mind.

     I smirked upon opening my closet, pulling back the clothes, and staring down at the unwrapped gifts. I still had yet to wrap them and I had to do it before tonight. So without any further thoughts, I began wrapping them, though not before locking my door of course. After all, I didn’t want anyone to come in and find me in the middle of wrapping their presents.

     It took me a bit to get everything situated, but once I did, it was no problem. I had actually debated on having Gambit help me. In fact, it didn’t sound like a bad idea, but that meant that I’d have to get his present or should I say presents, wrapped first.

     I looked under my bed to find his bag in the far corner, before sighing heavily. An idea then popped into my head.

     I snuck back into Gambit’s room, being as quiet as I could. He was still asleep, one arm over his eyes, while the other laid on his stomach.

     “Sleepy head,” I whispered as I snatched his bo staff and ran back to my room.

     I was nearly jumping for joy as I locked my door, going in front of my bed, and then reaching under it with his bo staff. It took a few tries, but I finally got the plastic handles around the end of it and pulled it out.

     “Finally,” I sighed, laying Gambit’s bo staff on my bed as I pulled his stuff out of the bag.

     I smiled as I looked down at all of the cards, he was going to love this or at least I hoped so anyway.

     “Of course he will,” I told myself, pulling the items into a box that I had selected.

     The box itself was about the size of a shoe box. I knew that it was a little bit big, but still. I nearly laughed as I finished wrapping it, tying it up with a piece of yarn. I knew that that would undoubtedly get his attention tomorrow morning. I made sure to wrap the special set up by itself, wrapping the box that it came in, in a nice piece of shiny silver wrapping paper. When I was done with that, I tied a red ribbon around it, curling the ends of it sharply with a pair of scissors.

     “There, all finished,” I said, a half hearted smile on my face.

     I honestly wasn’t used to this anymore, so in a way, it was actually new to me.

     A couple minutes later, I heard a knock on my door, and the attempted turning of the knob.

     “Cheri, you in d’ere?” came Gambit’s voice.

     “Um, hold on!” I called, quickly stashing his presents underneath of my bed.

     I got up and opened my door, finding him standing there leaning on the door frame, his hand racking through his messy hair as he yawned.

     “Sleep well, Remy?” I asked.

     “How could I not wit’ you by my side, cheri?” he asked, making me blush a bit.

     He gave me a small smile when he saw this, before looking over my shoulder and finding his bo staff on my bed. He raised a brow in question as he pointed to it.

     “What you got d’at for, cheri?” he asked curiously.

     I just put on a smile for him.

     “Sorry about that, Remy, I had to borrow it to get something down from the closet,” I explained, even though it wasn’t a complete lie, since I had to use it to knock some boxes down from the shelf in my closet.

     “What you need get down d’at Gambit couldn’ help wit’?” he asked.

     “Boxes,” I stated plainly.

     “Ah, so you doin’ some last minute wrappin’ d’en,” he said, eyeing the wrapping paper that was laying on my floor.

     “Yeah. Actually…” I started, feeling the heat rising in my cheeks a bit, “I was wondering…”

     “Oui, cheri?” he nudged a bit for me to continue.

     “Could you…could you help me wrap everything?” I asked shyly.

     He let out a loose laugh, before throwing his arm around my small shoulders.

     “Course, cheri, anyt’ing for you,” he proclaimed, smiling at me.

     That one smile was all that it took to spark something inside of me, but I just didn’t know what that something was. So, I just sat down with him on the floor wrapping presents.

     For a while we sat there, him helping me with the wrapping, and us just joking around. It turned into him playing around even more and me eventually pulling his ear.

     “Come on now, cheri, I’s just kiddin’,” he said, yelping as I pulled his ear.

     I just stuck my tongue out at him, before letting go, and turning back to wrapping presents.

     He sighed slightly, before moving beside me and throwing his arm around my shoulders.

     “Remy, what are you doing?” I asked as I rose an eyebrow at him, only to have him quickly ruffle my hair. “Hey!” I yelled, watching as he sprung up and ran out of my room, taking my jacket with him.

     I quickly shoved everything under my bed before going after him, slipping my shoes on first, before shutting my door behind me.

     “Remy! Get back here!” I called as I raced after him down the hallways.

     He just laughed as we turned a corner.

     “Dang you and your long legs, Remy!” I shouted as I laughed, nearly tripping over my feet as I continued to run after him.

     Once we got outside, I somehow managed to use my powers to catch up to him, tackling him to the snowy ground.

     “Give me that!” I laughed, snatching my jacket from his hands and shrugging it on, zipping it up a moment later.

     I then made a snow ball and threw it at him, hitting him right in the face. He yelped, before ducking out of the way of another one. I quickly slipped my gloves on from my pocket, before making another snowball and throwing it at him. I aimed right for his butt as he ran, hitting my target, before rolling around on the ground laughing hysterically.

     “D’as it!” he called, running toward me with snow in his hands.

     I squealed as I tried to get away, but he caught me, tossing snow down the back of my shirt. I screamed upon feeling it against the back of my skin, squirming around, and yelling. He just stood there laughing at me.

     Once I finally got it out of my shirt, I glared at him. I could feel my powers slowly start to act up, before a snowball hit me in the back of the head. I turned around to find Scott standing there with a smug look on his face.

     “Cool it, Nova,” he said, confusing me a bit.

     “Nova?”

     “Yeah, it’s your new name,” he said, leaning down and picking up a bit more snow in his hands, forming it into a snowball.

     I quickly ran behind Gambit for shelter as he threw it, hitting Gambit instead of me.

     “Ah, cheri!” he exclaimed, looking behind him as he brushed snow off of himself.

     “Save me, Remy,” I pleaded, hugging him around the waist from behind, burying my face in his back.

     He laughed for a moment, before grabbing some snow.

     “No one hurts ma cheri,” he said, before chucking a snowball at Scott, and hitting him in the face.

     I had to stifle a laugh as I stood behind Gambit, still holding onto him for warmth.

     “Outta d’e way, cheri!” he said quickly, pulling me to him as he ducked down on the ground to avoid a snowball.

     I blushed as I looked at him, being so close to him was slightly embarrassing. He just smiled at me, before rolling over to avoid me getting hit in the head with another snowball. This made my face go red.

     “Oi! Don’ you have no manners, Scott? Don’ hit a man when he’s down, especially, when he got a pretty lady he protectin’,” he said, sending a scowl Scott’s way.

     Once again I blushed. He thought that I was pretty…

     “You okay, cheri?” he asked upon seeing my red face.

     I quickly nodded my head, before trying to stand up. I only resulted on having my foot catch on his leg, causing me to fall on him. Now my face really _was_ red. Red with pure utter embarrassment for the fact of landing on him.

     He just chuckled as he held me up a bit by my arms, staring into my eyes.

     “Remy?”

     “Oui, cheri?”

     “You have snow in your hair,” I said quietly, looking away for a moment.

     “You’re right, cheri, I do,” he laughed, leaning up a big and shaking the snow from his hair.

     He then placed his forehead against mine, our noses touching.

     “Let’s get him, cheri,” he grinned, watching as I nodded my head quickly.

     After that, we broke apart and got up quickly, grabbing snow in our hands. We then threw the snowballs at Scott, causing him to duck out of the way and hide behind a tree.

     “Cheri, make a fort for Gambit, would ya?” Gambit asked as he scooped up some more snow, tossing it in Scott’s direction, and hitting the tree beside his head.

     I nodded my head and began quick work at building a fort for us. We needed shelter from Scott’s reign of snowballs and it would provide it for us. It was hard though when parts ended up falling down on itself, but I kept at it, packing it down as much as I possibly could. I squealed when one came toward me, missing my head by mere inches.

     “Hey now, d’at’s my cheri,” he said, running after Scott, who in turn fled across the courtyard.

     I laughed as I watched this, but was still caught off guard when he had said _my cheri_. I mean… how was I his? We were just friends, right?

     I sighed quietly as I continued to make the fort, packing the snow as best as I could, before I got hit in the head again.

     “Agh! Stop attacking me!” I scowled, turning to my attacker, only to find Logan standing there with a smug look on his face. “L-Logan!” I exclaimed, my face going beat red.

     “So, I’m attacking you am I?” he questioned with mock curiosity.

     “Um…I…” I stuttered a bit, not knowing what to say.

     “Need some help kid?” he gestured toward the fort that I was making.

     All I did was nod quickly, turning my eyes away, and going back to the fort. I was still so very embarrassed at how I had reacted. I squealed though when he pushed my face into the snow, chuckling.

     “L-Logan,” I shouted, rubbing my face incessantly, trying to warm it from the cold.

     I then heard the sound of Scott and Gambit approaching, quickly ducking down as Gambit jumped over the fort, sliding on his back once he hit the ground.

     “Bonjour, cheri,” he greeted with a smile.

     I could hear the sound of a snowball hitting the fort, one that had been meant for Gambit’s head.

     “And I thought that _you_ were chasing _him_ ,” I stated, raising a brow at him curiously.

     “Um, well, ya see, cheri…um…’bout d’at,” he started, trying to find the right words, but they only came out in a jumbled heap.

     We both looked up for a moment, before I quickly pulled Gambit down by the back of his long coat, avoiding a well aimed snowball from Scott.

     “Merci, cheri,” he thanked me, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

     I could hear the sound of Logan laughing at him.

     “Well, Gumbo, what are ya going to do now, huh?” he asked, laughing at him still.

     “D’is,” he said, hitting Logan in the face with a snowball.

     He was then met with a growl.

     “Uh-oh…” I whispered, slowly crawling away as quietly as I could, only to be picked up by Scott by the back of my jacket.

     “L-let me go,” I yelled, my eyes going wide as snowballs soon went flying all over the place.

     There were no longer teams. It was an all out war, either hit or be hit. Everyone was on their own.

     I soon found myself taking refuge behind a tree, hiding myself there from the terrors of winter war. No matter where you looked, a snowball was being thrown, but at least it was better than having fists being thrown at each other. In fact, Gambit’s eye was still bruised. Although, at least he could see out of it now which was a relief in itself. It would probably be bruised for at least another 2 weeks though knowing Logan.

     “Ah!” I yelled, ducking down as a snowball nearly hit me.

     I scowled at my attacker, but it soon fell when I found that it had merely been Gambit.

     “Don’t scare me like that, Remy,” I said, holding my hand over my heart.

     “Sorry ‘bout d’at, cheri, didn’ mean ta scare ya,” he said, smiling at me as he ran over to me, shielding me from an oncoming reign of snowballs.

     I smiled up at him weakly as he did this.

     “Thanks,” I whispered.

     “Any time, cheri, but now is Gambit’s turn,” he said, grabbing up some snow and chucking it at the other two.

     It went on like this for a few more hours until we finally called it a quits and went inside. I was completely freezing once I got inside. My ears were red along with my nose and cheeks.

     “Man kid, calm down would ya?” Logan asked as he watched me pace back and forth through the living room door way, rubbing my arms and trying to stay warm. “Stop that,” he said, walking over to me and grabbing my arms.

     I sighed quietly as I looked at him.

     “But Logan,” I whined, “I’m cold,” I said.

     “Yeah, well…” he stopped as he noticed Scott pointing to something above our heads. “Oh, HELL, no,” he said, looking up at the mistletoe.

     My face went red. Scott was nearly bursting with laughter as I glared at him. My glare then turned into a smirk as I walked over to him, pulling him under it as well. Both Logan and Scott went bug eyed causing me to laugh.

     “ _Now,_ give each other a man hug,” I ordered, watching them comply hesitantly.

     I then pulled them down a bit by their arms, kissing them on the cheek, before pushing them away.

     “Now, shut up and sit down,” I ordered.

     I had seen the look that Gambit held on his face when he saw the three of us and smiled softly, motioning him over.

     “Come here, Remy,” I said softly, taking his hand and then kissing his cheek. “Better?” I asked, watching a bright smile form on his face.

     “Oui, cheri. D’at made Gambit REAL happy,” he said, smiling from ear to ear, before placing a kiss on my cheek.

     The moment he did that, my face went red, and I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. In the background I could hear Scott stifle a laugh, the same with Logan to be honest. Although, Logan was a bit quieter, but still.

     “Maybe d’is help,” he said, placing his long coat on my shoulders.

     On me, it dragged on the ground by a good…of I don’t know, 4 to 5 inches maybe? That didn’t seem to bother him though as he placed his arms around my shoulder and led me upstairs to my room.

     “We still got stuff ta wrap,” he said, reminding me of what we had left unfinished.

     “Oh no!” I cried, running forward quickly and into my room.

     I pulled everything out from under my bed as he closed the door behind him, locking it like before.

     “Now, why don’ we finish d’is up?” he suggested as he sat down with me, taking some of the wrapping paper in his hands.

     I gave him a small smile, nodding my head as I opened boxes up and placed stuff inside. Every box had at least two things in them, but no one had more than one box to open, save for Gambit.

     About another hour later, we were finished with wrapping everything and took them downstairs. I swayed a bit as I walked, fatigue slowly taking over me with a yawn.

     “You alright, cheri?” Gambit asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

     I nodded quietly as we sat down, placing everything under the tree. I had made sure to hide the smallest of the two boxes for him in one of the branches at the base of the tree. I didn’t want him seeing it.

     “Oui, Remy,” I said, making him smile a bit.

     “Oui, Remy?” he asked,” So, you tryin' ta speak French on me now, cheri?” he asked with a loose laugh.

     “Maybe,” I said with another yawn.

     He took notice to this and slid the remaining presents underneath the tree, before grabbing me by the waist, and turning me toward him.

     “Remy?” I questioned with tired eyes.

     “Come, cheri, time for bed,” he said, picking me up in his arms and carrying me.

     I made little protest as he took me back up to my room, nearly falling asleep in his arms since I was so tired.

     Once he got to my room, he placed me down on my bed carefully, pulling the sheets up to my chin.

     “Good night, cheri,” he whispered, kissing my forehead before he got up.

     “Night…Remy,” I whispered quietly before falling asleep, no bad dreams following me this time.


	19. Christmas Day Part 1

**Combusting Hearts**

**Chapter 19**

**Christmas Day**

**Part 1**

     The next morning I woke up with a yawn and a smile on my face. It was Christmas day. Today was Christmas! I couldn’t believe it, it was actually Christmas, and for once I was looking forward to it.

     “Christmas…finally,” I whispered quietly to myself, a small smile on my face.

     I then looked over at my clock to find that it was around 10 in the morning.

     “Oh no! Everyone’s probably up already,” I cried, running out of my room, but stopped shortly after that.

     I looked at Gambit’s room, going over to it and knocking. I was surprised when I was met with an answer.

     “Oui?” he called.

     Wow, he was actually up and awake this time.

     “Can I come in?” I asked, waiting for him to respond.

     “Actually…” he started, opening the door, “I was just getting ready to come get you,” he said, smiling down at me.

     “Oh, really?” I inquired.

     “Oui, cheri,” he said, placing his arm around my shoulders as he closed his door, leading me down the hallway.

     It looked like he had something behind his back, but I couldn’t tell what it was. I just know that once we got downstairs and into the living room, it disappeared from behind him and went somewhere else that I had no clue about.

     “Remy, how long have you been up?” I asked curiously as we stood by the tree.

     “For a while now, cheri,” he informed me, moving over to sit on the couch. “Now, Gambit be right back,” he said, walking off into the kitchen.

     I smiled as he left, pulling my knees up onto the couch. I gazed over at the Christmas tree as it stood there in all its glory. It was decorated so beautifully with garland, lights, and bulbs. From silver to gold, to red and green, blues and purples. Every color rested or hung upon it beautifully. There was even a small mechanical train that continuously made its way around the bottom of the tree, gears moving, and small lights blinking. Everything was placed so neatly and carefully.

     “Here ya go, cheri,” Gambit said behind me as he held out a cup for me.

     I took it, breathing in the scent. Hot chocolate.

     “Careful, is hot, cheri,” he warned as he came to sit beside me on the couch, a small tray of cookies in his hand.

     They looked like they were freshly made.

     “Did you…” I started.

     “Oui, cheri, Gambit made d’em,” he said, a look of satisfaction on his face from his accomplishment. “Try one, cheri,” he insisted, holding the tray out to me.

     I looked down at it for a moment, before picking up a little tree covered in green and red sprinkles. I took a bite out of it, chewing it slowly. I could feel the corners of my lips pulling as I closed my eyes. It was delicious, absolutely delicious. I gave him a small smile after swallowing.

     “Amazing, Remy, absolutely amazing,” I said, watching him grin from ear to ear.

     “Why t’ank you, cheri, t’ank you,” he said.

     I swear as I looked at him, I didn’t think that he could smile anymore than that, but as everyone else soon started to pile in his smile grew. The first was the Professor, followed short after by Logan, then Scott. Next, was Hank and Storm. A few more students came in to join us for a short while, before leaving with their friends and going somewhere else, probably back to their rooms for a bit.

     “Iceman,” Logan called, turning as a young man entered the room, following a girl with a white streak in her hair.

     “Logan,” they both said, the girl running forward and hugging him.

     “Merry Christmas,” she said.

     “Merry Christmas to you too, Rouge,” he said, returning the gesture.

     I then watched as Rouge and Iceman came over to the couch, standing behind it and looking down at us.

     “So, feeling better?” he asked.

     I gave him an awkward nod, watching Rouge come around the couch and hold out her hand to me, wanting to shake hands.

     “Elaine, right?”

     “Um, yeah,” I nodded my head, shaking her gloved hand.

     It was rather odd the way that they were acting, then I remembered something.

     “Hey, where’s Kurt?” I asked, looking around at everyone.

     They too looked around, but Kurt was nowhere to be found. I then turned to Gambit, but he just shrugged his shoulders.

     “I ain’t seen him, cheri,” he said, casting his eyes around for the blue man in question.

     I sighed for a moment, before getting up off of the couch. Gambit looked at me with a questionable look as I got up, wanting to know what I was doing.

     “I’m going to go find Kurt,” I said, walking out of the living room and heading upstairs.

     I slowly made my way to Kurt’s room, knocking on the door.

     “Kurt?” I called, but received no answer, save for the sound of faint movement. “Kurt? I’m coming in,” I said, before opening the door.

     The room was pitch black, no light coming in at all, save for the bit of light that crept into the room upon opening the door.

     I looked around, my hand on the wall as I fumbled for the light switch. When I finally turned it on, I found Kurt sitting in the corner of his room praying.

     “Kurt,” I sighed in relief, walking over to him.

     I knelt down and placed my hands on his shoulders, looking at him.

     “Kurt, how come you’re not downstairs?” I asked, staring at him, his eyes shining brightly in the bit of darkness that was in the room.

     “Vould it not be better if I vaz not zere?” he asked, turning his eyes to glance around the room.

     I sighed quietly, holding my breath for a moment.

     “Kurt…” I whispered, “ we _want_ you down there with us,” I told him, catching his attention.

     “Vhat?”

     I smiled faintly, pulling up so that he was no longer sitting on the floor.

     “Besides, I have a present waiting for you downstairs,” I told him, smiling when I caught the spark in his eyes.

     “You have a…prezent for me?” he asked slowly, his tail curling with curiosity.

     “Yes, there’s a present waiting for you downstairs,” I assured him, carefully pulling him toward the door and out into the hallway.

     It was like he was still scared to be around people, then again, I guess I was still just as scared at times. I was getting better with it though, even if only a little bit at a time, but I was getting somewhere with it. I suppose, I was mainly scared of normal people. Actually…that’s a lie. I’m scared of nearly everyone. I’m scared that I’ll be turned away the same way I was turned away as a child by so many people, human and mutant alike.

     I continued to think about all of this as we walked back downstairs and into the living room. Gambit caught sight of me as we came in, apparently noticing the off look on my face as I thought about everything. I never did come back over to sit on the couch with him, so instead, he came over to me.

     “You alright, cheri?” he asked, his voice concerned.

     “Oh, um…yeah…yeah, I’m fine,” I said, looking elsewhere for a moment.

     I heard him sighed, before he took hold of my hand and led me back over to the tree, sitting me down in front of it. He then knelt behind me, placing his arms over my shoulders, his chin resting on top of my head. I felt slightly awkward, but in a way, I didn’t.

     “So, who’s ready for presents?” he asked, looking around at everybody.

     Soon, everyone was seated around the tree, pulling out gifts and exchanging them. I couldn’t help, but to smile a bit at everyone. I then noticed Gambit pulling his present that had a string of yarn tied around it. He looked at me with a questionable look before laughing and tugging on the string. It fell from the package soon after onto the floor, followed shortly after by the wrapping paper and lid.

     I saw the look on his face as he pulled away a bit more paper inside of the box, a smile growing on his face.

     “Cheri,” he said, turning he eyes to me and smiling.

     The corners of my lips pulled as he pulled me into a hug, making my face go slightly red.

     “Gambit was runnin’ low on cards,” he said, looking down at all of them, almost like a kid in a candy store.

     He took one deck out, inspecting it, checking the flexibility and texture.

     “D’ey’re perfect,” he said.

     I nearly laughed at this, but held it in. It really did make me happy seeing him like this, so happy.

     “Oh, Kurt,” I said, jumping up from my spot beside Gambit.

     I grabbed a present from under the tree and brought it over to the couch where he was sitting, gently placing it into his hands with a smile. He looked at it curiously, examining the square box, before beginning to unwrap it. I stepped back a bit, my back hitting Gambit’s now standing chest. I looked at him for a moment, smiling slightly, turning back toward Kurt.

     The moment that the lid was lifted off and the paper on the floor, it was like time just stopped for a split second. The look on his face, it was like he didn’t know what to do as he took everything out of the box.

     I could hear Gambit stifling a laugh which was ended by a faint elbow by me. He gave a quiet laugh at that action and just placed his arms around me so that I was stuck against him, unable to move or go anywhere.

     “Vhat iz zis?” Kurt asked curiously, his eyes taking in every detail.

     I moved to pull away from Gambit for a moment, but he wouldn’t let go.

     “Give me one minute of freedom and then I’m all yours, okay?” I asked, watching as he thought about it for one moment, before letting me go.

     I then walked over to Kurt, sitting down on the couch with him. I took a glove in my hand, tentatively taking hold of one of his hands and slipping it on. He moved his three fingers around a bit, flexing them as I placed the other one on his other hand. Everyone was watching with mild interest and abundant curiosity as I did all of this. Kurt’s tail continued to curl and uncurl as I then placed a handmade hat on his head, pulling it down in the back a bit. I then placed a scarf around his neck, wrapping it around once, before I moved to his tail. I placed a little mitten of sorts on his tail that seemed fitted to it almost.

* * *

     Gambit stood back grinning at the sight in front of him, partially because he had helped make everything that Kurt was wearing, well mainly everything anyway. He mainly just found it funny. The blue-skinned devil in front of him was speechless, absolutely speechless. That was, before he took Elaine by the hands and nearly started dancing around the living room with his new winter attire on.

     “Zis iz wunderbar! Zank you, Elaine, zank you,” he exclaimed happily, hugging her tightly.

     At the sight of this, Gambit became slightly jealous, but only just. He had to remind himself that it was a friendly gesture and nothing more.

     He sighed silently, not understanding why he felt like this, then again…he did like her. Gambit liked her more than any other girl that he had ever been around. It would be a lie to say that he was not attracted to her, and he would not deny that fact to anyone if they were to ask. He actually planned to make it a bit more apparent to her tonight.

     He smiled at the thought of her gliding across ice.

     “She be happy,” he said to himself, barely above a whisper.

     He was about to grab her from Kurt when he stopped, watching as Kurt pulled out a tiny square box from his coat pocket with his tail, bringing it to rest in his hand.

     “Zis iz for you fraulein,” he said, handing it to her.

     Gambit watched as Elaine gazed at it curiously, undoing the small bow on the box and opening it. He saw her mouth go a bit slack, worrying him.

     Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was actually a cross necklace, a rather beautiful one at that. He frowned at this, seeing that her attention was slowly being taken away from him and placed on Kurt.

* * *

     I looked down at the cross in my hand, completely breathless. I hadn’t expected this. It was beautiful…

     “I…th-thank you, Kurt,” I whispered, tracing my finger gently over the metal.

     I licked my bottom lip faintly for a moment, the dryness driving me insane. Winter wasn’t too kind to my lips at all, leaving them thoroughly chapped.

     “I am zorry zat I can not help you put it on,” he apologized motioning to his three fingered hands.

     Gambit nearly all but leapt forward at the chance to help, taking the necklace from my hands, and bringing it around my neck. I felt my cheeks heat up a bit when he did this, feeling his fingers brush my neck as he clipped the clasp on the necklace.

     “Thank you, Remy,” I said, smiling the best that I could.

     I could tell that he was holding something back, but I wasn’t sure what it was. So, I just put it to the side for the time being.

     “Any time, cheri,” he said with a smile. “Now, ya got some more presents to open, cheri,” he said, pulling me back toward the tree.

     Almost two hours later we were finally done with presents. The only reason why it took so long was because of all of the talking and stuff.


End file.
